FlashRecall

Memorize Faster

Get Flashrecall On App Store
Back to Blog
Study Tipsby FlashRecall Team

Creating Flashcards Online: 7 Powerful Tricks To Learn Faster (Most Students Don’t Know) – Stop wasting time with clunky tools and use smarter online flashcards that actually stick in your memory.

Creating flashcards online gets way easier when you know what *actually* deserves a card, how to write Q–A prompts, and why spaced repetition + active recall...

How Flashrecall app helps you remember faster. It's free

FlashRecall app screenshot 1
FlashRecall app screenshot 2
FlashRecall app screenshot 3
FlashRecall app screenshot 4

Why Creating Flashcards Online Is a Game-Changer

If you’re still making flashcards on paper, you’re working way harder than you need to.

Online flashcards let you:

  • Create cards faster
  • Study anywhere
  • Use spaced repetition and active recall automatically
  • Sync across devices

And if you want all of that without dealing with something complicated or ugly, Flashrecall is honestly one of the easiest ways to do it:

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

You can make cards from text, PDFs, screenshots, YouTube links, or just by typing. Plus, it builds in spaced repetition and reminders for you, so you don’t have to think about “when should I review this again?”

Let’s break down how to create online flashcards properly so they actually help you remember stuff.

Step 1: Decide What Should Become a Flashcard

Not everything deserves to be a flashcard. A good rule:

> If you’ll need to recall it without notes, it’s flashcard material.

Great things to turn into flashcards:

  • Definitions (e.g., “What is opportunity cost?”)
  • Formulas (e.g., “What’s the derivative of sin(x)?”)
  • Vocabulary (languages, medicine, law, business terms)
  • Key dates and people (history, exams)
  • Concept checks (“Why does X happen?”, “What’s the difference between A and B?”)

In Flashrecall, this is super easy because you can:

  • Screenshot your lecture slides
  • Import a PDF
  • Paste a chunk of text or a link

…and instantly turn that into cards instead of rewriting everything by hand.

Step 2: Use Question–Answer Style (Active Recall)

The whole point of flashcards is active recall: forcing your brain to pull the answer out of memory, not just recognize it.

Bad card:

> Front: Photosynthesis

> Back: A long paragraph explaining the whole process…

Good card:

> Front: What is photosynthesis?

> Back: Process where plants use light, CO₂, and water to make glucose and oxygen.

Even better, split big ideas into multiple cards:

  • “What are the inputs of photosynthesis?”
  • “What are the outputs of photosynthesis?”
  • “Where in the cell does photosynthesis happen?”

Flashrecall is built around this active recall style. When you study, it doesn’t just show you the answer — it makes you try to remember first, then you rate how hard it was. That rating feeds into the spaced repetition schedule automatically.

Step 3: Keep Cards Short, Simple, and Focused

Online flashcards work best when each card tests one idea.

Try this:

  • One fact = one card
  • One formula = one card
  • One concept comparison = one card

Examples:

Too much on one card

Front: “What are the causes, main events, and consequences of World War I?”

Back: Huge wall of text.

Better as three cards

1. “What were the main causes of World War I?”

2. “What were the key events of World War I?”

3. “What were two major consequences of World War I?”

This way, your brain isn’t cheating by half-knowing the answer. You either know it or you don’t.

When you’re making cards in Flashrecall, the interface is super fast and modern, so splitting big concepts into multiple cards doesn’t feel like a chore. You can just tap, create, move on.

Step 4: Create Flashcards From What You Already Have (The Fast Way)

Flashrecall automatically keeps track and reminds you of the cards you don't remember well so you remember faster. Like this :

Flashrecall spaced repetition reminders notification

The biggest reason people avoid flashcards?

“They take too long to make.”

That’s only true if you’re typing everything manually from scratch. Online tools like Flashrecall let you skip most of that:

You can instantly make flashcards from:

  • Images – Take a photo of your textbook or handwritten notes, and turn sections into cards.
  • Text – Copy-paste lecture notes or summaries.
  • PDFs – Import slides, handouts, or ebooks and generate cards from key parts.
  • YouTube links – Use a video you’re studying from and create cards from its content.
  • Audio – Record explanations and turn them into cards.
  • Typed prompts – Just type what you want to learn and build cards in seconds.

And of course, you can still make cards manually if you like full control.

This is where Flashrecall really shines compared to older flashcard apps that make you do everything the slow way. You get the benefits of online flashcards without the “ugh, I don’t want to type all this out” energy.

Step 5: Add Images, Context, and Examples

Plain text is fine, but your brain loves visuals and context.

When creating online flashcards, try adding:

  • Diagrams (biology, anatomy, physics)
  • Graphs or charts (economics, statistics)
  • Screenshots (code snippets, interfaces, math steps)
  • Example sentences (languages, vocabulary, law terms)

Example language card:

Front: “serendipity” – meaning?

Back: “Finding something good without looking for it.

Example: ‘Finding that book was pure serendipity.’”

In Flashrecall, you can drop in images, or just snap a quick photo on your iPhone or iPad and turn it into a card. Super handy for formulas on the whiteboard or diagrams in class.

Step 6: Use Spaced Repetition (Don’t Just Cram)

Creating flashcards online is only half the story. The real magic is when you review them.

Spaced repetition = review right before you’re about to forget.

Instead of:

  • Cramming 200 cards in one night
  • Forgetting 80% a week later

You:

  • Review a few cards each day
  • See hard ones more often
  • See easy ones less often

Flashrecall has built-in spaced repetition with:

  • Automatic scheduling based on how well you remember
  • Study reminders so you actually open the app
  • No need to manually track what to review — it just shows you what’s due today

This is a huge upgrade over simple “flip through a deck” websites. You’re not just creating online flashcards; you’re building a system that keeps your memory sharp with minimal effort.

Step 7: Study Smart: Active Recall + Chat When You’re Stuck

When you review your cards, don’t just “peek” at the answer.

Do this:

1. Look at the front.

2. Say the answer out loud or in your head.

3. Flip the card.

4. Rate how hard it was.

If you’re stuck or confused, this is where Flashrecall has a killer feature:

> You can chat with the flashcard.

So if you don’t fully get a concept, you can ask follow-up questions right inside the app:

  • “Explain this in simpler words.”
  • “Give me another example.”
  • “Compare this with [other concept].”

That turns your deck from a static stack of cards into a mini tutor. Way better than just staring at something you don’t understand and hoping it clicks.

Where Online Flashcards Really Shine

Online flashcards work for almost anything you want to learn:

  • Languages – Vocabulary, phrases, grammar patterns
  • Exams – SAT, MCAT, USMLE, bar exam, CFA, etc.
  • School subjects – Math, history, biology, chemistry, physics
  • University – Medicine, law, engineering, business, psychology
  • Work & business – Terminology, frameworks, product knowledge, sales scripts
  • Personal learning – Coding, music theory, geography, trivia

Flashrecall is great here because:

  • It’s fast, modern, and easy to use
  • Works on iPhone and iPad
  • Works offline, so you can study on the train, plane, or in bad Wi‑Fi
  • It’s free to start, so you can test it without committing to anything

Link again so you don’t have to scroll:

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

Simple Example: Turning a Textbook Page Into Online Flashcards

Let’s say you’re studying “Supply and Demand” in economics.

You snap a photo of the textbook page or import the PDF into Flashrecall. From that, you create cards like:

1. Concept definition

  • Front: “What is the law of demand?”
  • Back: “As price increases, quantity demanded decreases (and vice versa), ceteris paribus.”

2. Graph understanding

  • Front: “On a demand curve, which axis is price and which is quantity?”
  • Back: “Price on the vertical (y), quantity on the horizontal (x).”

3. Cause–effect

  • Front: “What happens to the demand curve when income increases (normal good)?”
  • Back: “The demand curve shifts to the right.”

4. Comparison

  • Front: “Difference between movement along a demand curve and a shift of the demand curve?”
  • Back: “Movement: change in quantity demanded due to price change. Shift: change in demand due to non-price factor.”

You now have a mini deck that actually tests what you need to know, not just random highlights.

How to Make This a Habit (So It Actually Pays Off)

Creating online flashcards is most powerful when you do it regularly, not just the night before the exam.

Try this routine:

  • After each class or study session:
  • Spend 10–15 minutes turning key points into flashcards in Flashrecall.
  • Every day:
  • Open the app, do your due reviews (spaced repetition), then stop.

Because Flashrecall:

  • Reminds you to study
  • Shows you exactly what’s due
  • Works offline

…it’s easy to squeeze in a quick session while waiting in line, commuting, or lying in bed pretending you’ll sleep early.

Ready to Start Creating Flashcards Online the Smart Way?

If you want your study time to actually stick in your brain, online flashcards + spaced repetition is honestly one of the most effective combos out there.

And if you don’t want to wrestle with clunky tools, Flashrecall gives you:

  • Instant flashcards from images, text, PDFs, audio, YouTube
  • Manual card creation when you want full control
  • Built-in active recall and spaced repetition
  • Study reminders so you don’t fall off
  • Offline mode
  • Chat with your flashcards when you’re confused
  • A fast, modern app that’s free to start on iPhone and iPad

Try it here and turn your notes into a memory machine:

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

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.

What is active recall and how does it work?

Active recall is the process of actively retrieving information from memory rather than passively reviewing it. Flashrecall forces proper active recall by making you think before revealing answers, then uses spaced repetition to optimize your review schedule.

Related Articles

Ready to Transform Your Learning?

Start using FlashRecall today - the AI-powered flashcard app with spaced repetition and active recall.

Download on App Store