Question 1

Should I learn words by frequency or by topic?

Accepted Answer

Both have their place. A frequency list builds the foundation the fastest — the most common words appear everywhere, so they give the biggest jump in comprehension for the least effort. A topic list — travel, work, a hobby — gets you the specific vocabulary you'll actually use sooner. Many learners do both: a frequency list for coverage, topic lists for the words that matter to them.

Question 2

How many English words do you need to be fluent?

Accepted Answer

Around 3,000 word families get you to comfortable everyday fluency — but the first 1,000 already cover about 85% of ordinary conversation. Learning common, high-frequency words first is the fastest way to raise how much you understand.

Question 3

What's the difference between passive and active vocabulary?

Accepted Answer

Your passive vocabulary is the words you recognise when you read or hear them; your active vocabulary is the words you can actually produce when you speak or write. Passive is always the larger of the two — the real goal of study is moving words from passive to active, and meeting a word in more than one context, spread out over time, is what makes that shift happen.

Question 4

What's the fastest way to memorise a word list?

Accepted Answer

Reading a list isn't the same as remembering it. Spaced repetition — reviewing each word right before you'd forget it — is far more effective than re-reading, especially when you meet the word in more than one form: recognition, recall, and in context.

Question 5

Why learn these lists in OpenWords?

Accepted Answer

Because it closes the gap between seeing a word and owning it. Every word comes with a clear definition, examples and translations; you save the ones you want in a single tap; and spaced-repetition flashcards bring each one back — as recognition, recall and in-context cards — right before you'd forget it. It's free, needs no account, and works offline.

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