Show HN: Wordie – Spaced repetition vocab app built around sentences not quizzes

[tailaiw]

I used to print AI-generated articles for my kids to read and memorize vocab from. Two problems: no way to track what stuck, and the articles often introduced words they didn't know either — I'd end up Googling definitions mid-bedtime-reading.

Most apps "solve" the tracking problem with quizzes. But recognizing a word in a list is easy — using it in a sentence is where real understanding shows up. My kids could ace a quiz and still have no idea how to actually use the word.

The other missing piece is the memory curve. Without spaced repetition, words just evaporate — they'd "learn" something on Monday and it'd be gone by Friday. The research is clear: revisiting at increasing intervals is far more effective than cramming. Most kids' apps ignore this entirely.

I built Wordie for my own kids, but realized the same pain points probably resonate with other parents. Kids read short AI-generated articles with vocabulary words at their level, then write their own sentences for each word. I (the parent) review them before the word moves forward. Words that pass enter a spaced repetition queue. Ones they struggle with stay in rotation.

Built with a lot of AI help — which felt fitting for an AI-powered kids' app.

Would love feedback from other parents.

https://gowordie.com