Word Trainer

Learn Spanish words that you actually need

Spanish is the official language of about twenty countries, and every one of them has its own words for some of the same things. What you need is not the ten thousand most common words of Spanish in general, but the words of your city, your job and your neighbours. Word Trainer is built around exactly that list.

What makes Spanish vocabulary tricky

Every noun has a gender, and the article comes with it: la mano is feminine although it ends in -o, el problema is masculine although it ends in -a. A word learned without its article is only half learned.

Verbs change with person, tense and mood, so one verb is really a family of forms. Ser and estar both mean 'to be': the basic rules for choosing between them are short, but the exceptions are many, so in the end the right choice becomes a matter of habit.

False friends with English are everywhere: embarazada means pregnant, not embarrassed; constipado means having a cold; actualmente means currently. And the same object has different names across the Spanish-speaking world: a car is coche in Spain, carro in much of Latin America and auto in Argentina.

How Word Trainer helps with Spanish

Word Trainer has no ready-made Spanish deck. Your dictionary is the list of words you decided to learn: from your course, your textbook, your job, the shop on the corner. Type them, paste a whole list, photograph a page or, on Android, share text from another app, and the missing translations fill in automatically.

Every word then goes through the full cycle. The Learn tab shows it next to its translation and hides more of its letters at each level until you recall the whole word. Flashcards follow, and then training: you type or say the translation, and spaced repetition decides when the word comes back. Words you get wrong return sooner, words you know fade to rare refreshers.

The app pronounces every Spanish word with a natural voice, plays your list as an audio playlist in Listen mode, and in hands-free mode listens to your spoken Spanish and checks it, so you can train on a walk with nothing in your hands.

Three tips for your Spanish entries

  • Add nouns with the article: 'la mano', 'el problema', 'la ciudad'. The trainer takes the whole entry, and you learn the gender for free.
  • Add the two 'to be' verbs in phrases, not alone: 'estoy cansado', 'soy de aquí'. The phrase carries the rule.
  • Add the regional word you actually hear. If your neighbours say 'carro', learn 'carro'; the textbook can wait.

A few Spanish words worth adding

WordIn EnglishWhy it matters
el barrioneighbourhoodThe place you will talk about most
la citaappointmentDoctor, bank, hairdresser: the same word
madrugarto get up earlyOne verb where English needs four words
el reciboreceipt, billRent, electricity, the corner shop
la colaqueue, lineAt the bakery, the bank, the bus stop
quedarto remain, to be left; to arrange to meetIn Spain, ¿quedamos? is how plans with friends start

Learn Spanish from any language

Word Trainer supports 17 languages in any pair, in both directions. Learn Spanish from English, German, Ukrainian, French or any of the others, and the interface itself is available in 16 languages, so you can use the app in your own language while you learn Spanish.

Frequently asked questions

Should I learn the Spanish of Spain or Latin American Spanish?

The one you hear around you. The core vocabulary is shared; the differences are a few hundred everyday words, some pronunciation and the forms of 'you': vosotros in Spain, vos in Argentina, Uruguay and much of Central America. Word Trainer keeps one Spanish dictionary, so add the regional word you meet, and add the other variant as its own entry when you meet that one too.

Can I use the word list from my Spanish course or textbook?

Yes. Paste the list into Bulk import, one word per line or 'word - translation' pairs, or photograph the page: the pairs are recognized and the missing translations are filled in. Folders keep the lessons apart, and you can train one folder or everything at once.

Does the app pronounce Spanish words?

Yes. Every word in the Learn tab, in the list and on the flashcards, has a play button with a natural Spanish voice, Auto-speak pronounces the words during training, Listen mode plays your whole list as a playlist, and hands-free mode understands your spoken Spanish answers.

Is Word Trainer free?

There is a free plan with everything you need to learn: a dictionary of up to 150 words, training, and the Learn tab with flashcards and listening. Hands-free voice practice, word recognition from photos and translation come with monthly allowances, the paid plans raise them and remove the word limit, and Pro adds detailed progress. Sign up and start, no card needed.

Start your Spanish dictionary

Add the first ten words now, and the trainer will tell you when it is time to repeat them. Free to start, no card needed.

Start for free