Anki Flashcards English: 7 Powerful Ways To Learn Faster (And The Better iOS Alternative Most Students Don’t Know About)

Anki Flashcards For English: Awesome… But Kind Of A Hassle

If you’re learning English with Anki flashcards, you’re already doing something smart.

Spaced repetition + flashcards = insanely effective for vocab, grammar, and phrases.

But let’s be honest:

• Anki is powerful, but it’s not exactly friendly on mobile
• Deck setup can feel like a part-time job
• Sync, plugins, clunky UI… it gets old fast

If you want Anki-level power without the headache, you should really try Flashrecall:

👉 https://apps.apple.com/us/app/flashrecall-study-flashcards/id6746757085

It’s like a modern, fast, iOS-native take on Anki that just… works. Same science (spaced repetition, active recall), but way easier to use on iPhone and iPad.

Let’s break down how to use flashcards effectively for English, where Anki is great, where it hurts, and how Flashrecall fixes most of those pain points.

Why Flashcards Work So Well For English (Anki Or Not)

Whether you use Anki, Flashrecall, or paper cards, flashcards are perfect for English because they:

• Use active recall – you force your brain to pull the word/meaning from memory
• Use spaced repetition – you see hard cards more often, easy ones less often
• Break big goals into tiny chunks – 10–20 cards a day adds up fast

Flashrecall has both built-in:

• Active recall mode: you see the front, try to remember, then tap to reveal
• Automatic spaced repetition: it schedules cards for you and sends study reminders, so you don’t have to remember when to review

So the real question isn’t “Anki or not?”

It’s “Which app lets you actually stick with flashcards every day?”

Anki vs Flashrecall For English: What’s The Difference?

Anki is kind of like the “old-school pro tool” — super configurable, but also:

• Not designed specifically for iOS
• Has a learning curve
• Feels more like software from 2010 than 2025

• Built for iPhone and iPad
• Fast, modern, clean UI
• Free to start
• Made for real-world studying: languages, exams, school, uni, medicine, business — and obviously English

Where Anki Shines

• Huge community & shared decks
• Tons of customization (if you like tweaking everything)
• Very powerful if you invest time learning it

Where Flashrecall Wins (Especially For English)

• Instant card creation
• From text (just paste)
• From images (screenshot a page, it turns into cards)
• From PDFs
• From YouTube links
• From audio
• Or just type manually like normal
• Built-in spaced repetition – no config needed
• Study reminders – gentle nudges so you don’t fall off
• Works offline – perfect for commuting or traveling
• You can chat with the flashcard if you’re unsure or want more explanation

If you’ve ever thought “I love what Anki does, I just don’t love using it on my phone,” Flashrecall is basically the answer.

👉 Try it here: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/flashrecall-study-flashcards/id6746757085

1. How To Build English Vocabulary Like Crazy With Flashcards

Whether you’re using Anki or Flashrecall, vocab is usually priority #1.

What To Put On The Front And Back

For English, try this structure:

• The English word: `“to recommend”`
• Optional: a short hint or your native language: `“to suggest (ES: recomendar)”`

• Simple English definition: `“to say that something is good or suitable”`
• 1–2 example sentences:
• “I recommend this book.”
• “Can you recommend a good restaurant?”
• Maybe a collocation or phrase:
• “highly recommend”

In Flashrecall, you can do this super fast:

• Paste a word list or text → it can auto-generate flashcards
• Screenshot a vocab page from a book → turn the image into cards
• Paste a YouTube English lesson link → extract key points into cards

With Anki, this is all possible, but usually requires more manual setup or add-ons.

2. Learn Phrases, Not Just Words

One mistake a lot of English learners make: only memorizing single words.

Instead of just:

• “issue” → “problem”

Use chunks:

• “issue”
• “There’s an issue with your payment.”
• “Let’s discuss this issue tomorrow.”

Or:

• “look forward to”
• “I look forward to hearing from you.”
• “We look forward to meeting you.”

In Flashrecall, you can:

• Paste a short dialogue or paragraph
• Turn key phrases into multiple cards in seconds
• Use chat with the flashcard to ask:
• “Give me 3 more example sentences with ‘look forward to’.”

That chat feature is something Anki just doesn’t have natively — it’s like having a mini-tutor inside your flashcards.

3. Use Flashcards For Grammar (Yes, It Actually Works)

Grammar with flashcards sounds weird, but it’s super effective if you do it right.

Instead of memorizing rules like:

> “Present perfect is have/has + past participle…”

Make pattern-based cards.

Front:

> “I ____ (live) here since 2019.”

Back:

> “I have lived here since 2019. (present perfect)”

Front:

> “I ____ (move) here in 2019.”

Back:

> “I moved here in 2019. (past simple)”

In Flashrecall, you can:

• Create a set of similar grammar cards quickly
• Let spaced repetition bring back the ones you keep getting wrong
• Use chat to ask:
• “Explain again why we use present perfect in this sentence.”

Anki can absolutely do grammar cards, but you’ll be managing everything manually. Flashrecall makes it feel more like a conversation than a spreadsheet.

4. Turn Real-Life English Content Into Flashcards Instantly

This is where Flashrecall really pulls ahead of Anki for most casual learners.

You can create cards from:

• Images – take a picture of a page from your textbook, or a sign, or subtitles → auto cards
• PDFs – English worksheets, ebooks, exam practice → turned into flashcards
• YouTube links – English lessons, TED talks, explanations
• Audio – record something and make cards from the transcript
• Plain text – copy-paste an article or chat

Example workflow:

1. You watch a YouTube video: “10 Phrasal Verbs You Must Know”

2. Paste the link into Flashrecall

3. It pulls out the key verbs and examples into flashcards

4. You review them with spaced repetition over the week

You can do similar things with Anki using add-ons or manual work, but Flashrecall is built to do this out of the box, fast.

5. Use Spaced Repetition Properly (Without Overthinking It)

The magic of both Anki and Flashrecall is spaced repetition.

The problem with Anki:

• New users often get overwhelmed by settings, intervals, leech cards, etc.

With Flashrecall:

• Spaced repetition is built-in and automatic
• You just rate how well you remembered the card
• The app schedules the next review for you
• Study reminders ping you so you don’t forget to review

That means more time learning English, less time tweaking settings.

6. Make Studying English A Daily Habit (Not A Once-A-Week Sprint)

Consistency beats intensity. 15–20 minutes a day is enough to make huge progress.

Some simple habits that work great with Flashrecall:

• Morning routine: 10 minutes of review while you drink coffee
• Commute time: works offline, so train/metro/bus is perfect
• Before bed: quick review of new words from your day

Because Flashrecall works offline and sends gentle reminders, it’s easier to build that “I just open the app for a bit every day” habit — which is exactly how spaced repetition is supposed to work.

Anki can do daily reviews too, of course, but if the app feels heavy or annoying on your phone, you’re less likely to stick with it.

7. Example: A Simple English Study Routine Using Flashrecall

Here’s a concrete plan you can steal:

Monday–Friday

• 10 minutes – Review old cards (spaced repetition queue)
• 5–10 minutes – Add 5–15 new items:
• New vocab from a show, book, or class
• 2–3 grammar pattern cards
• 1–2 useful phrases or expressions

Weekend

• Watch 1–2 English videos (YouTube, TED, etc.)
• Paste the link into Flashrecall
• Turn the most important words/phrases into cards
• Do a light review session (no pressure)

Because Flashrecall is fast and modern, this doesn’t feel like “admin work.” You can literally go from content → flashcards in under a minute.

👉 Download it here and set this up in a few minutes:

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/flashrecall-study-flashcards/id6746757085

So… Should You Still Use Anki For English?

If you:

• Love tinkering
• Want extreme customization
• Don’t mind a steeper learning curve

…then Anki is still a solid option.

But if you:

• Mainly study on iPhone or iPad
• Want something fast, simple, and modern
• Still want spaced repetition + active recall
• Like the idea of instant cards from YouTube, PDFs, images, and audio
• Want to chat with your flashcards when you’re confused

…then Flashrecall is probably a better fit for you.

You’re not “betraying” Anki by switching — you’re just choosing the tool that makes it easiest to actually study English every day.

Final Thoughts: Pick The Tool You’ll Actually Use

The best English flashcard app isn’t the most complex one.

It’s the one you open every day without dreading it.

Anki is powerful.

Flashrecall is powerful and easy.

If you want to keep all the benefits of Anki-style learning — spaced repetition, active recall, long-term memory — but in a smoother, faster, iOS-native experience, give Flashrecall a try:

👉 https://apps.apple.com/us/app/flashrecall-study-flashcards/id6746757085

Use it for a week with just 10–15 minutes a day, and watch how fast your English vocab and confidence start to grow.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Anki good for studying?

Anki is powerful but requires manual card creation and has a steep learning curve. Flashrecall offers AI-powered card generation from your notes, images, PDFs, and videos, making it faster and easier to create effective flashcards.

What's the fastest way to create flashcards?

Manually typing cards works but takes time. Many students now use AI generators that turn notes into flashcards instantly. Flashrecall does this automatically from text, images, or PDFs.

How do I start spaced repetition?

You can manually schedule your reviews, but most people use apps that automate this. Flashrecall uses built-in spaced repetition so you review cards at the perfect time.

Related Articles

• Anki Cards English: 7 Powerful Tricks To Learn Faster (And A Better Alternative) – Stop wasting time on clunky decks and start learning English with tools that actually fit your life.
• ABC Flash: The Complete Guide To Smarter Flashcards On iPhone (And The Powerful Alternative Most Students Don’t Know About) – Before you download yet another basic flashcard app, read this and see how much faster you could be learning.
• Miles Kelly Flashcards: The Complete Guide To Smarter Learning (And A Better Digital Alternative Most Students Don’t Know About) – Before You Buy Another Box Of Cards, Read This And See How To Upgrade Your Study Game