How to Learn Your First Word Cluster
Theo is a barista and aspiring poet who downloaded the app after seeing "felicity" in a poem he was reading. He doesn't plan his sessions — he just opens the app and taps whatever catches his eye. The Today tab's suggested cluster is "Emotions: Shades of Happiness." He taps it and starts learning.
Steps
- Open the app — you land directly on the Today tab
- Tap the suggested cluster card (e.g., "Emotions: Shades of Happiness")
- The Cluster Detail screen opens — read the cluster name, domain, difficulty tag, and word count
- For each word, read:
- The definition — precise meaning
- 2–3 usage examples — the word in realistic sentence contexts
- Nuance notes — how this word differs from its near-synonyms in the cluster
- Scroll through all words at your own pace
- Reach the exercise section at the bottom — answer the fill-in-the-blank or matching questions
- See correct/incorrect feedback with explanations after each answer
- Tap Complete Cluster to mark it done and add the words to your spaced repetition schedule
What You're Learning
The nuance notes are the core value of each cluster. They explain not just what a word means, but when to use it over similar words. For example, in "Shades of Happiness":
- Joy — deep, often quiet contentment
- Elation — intense, often short-lived high
- Felicity — a poetic word for happiness, implying appropriateness or good fortune
Knowing all three means you can pick the right one instead of defaulting to "happy."
Expected Outcome
After completing a cluster, the words enter your spaced repetition queue. They'll resurface for review at optimal intervals based on your recall performance. Your streak increments by 1 for the day.
Tips
- Getting some exercises wrong on the first attempt is normal — Theo got 3 of 5 correct. The spaced repetition system will reinforce the words you missed
- The Today tab suggests a different cluster after you complete one — you can tap it immediately or come back tomorrow
- If you want to explore clusters outside the daily suggestion, switch to the Library tab to browse by domain and difficulty
- A tooltip hint appears on your first visit explaining the three daily options — tap it to dismiss
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