Learn any language
in less than a year.
50 cards a day. Deep, etymology rich flashcards with spaced repetition, built for people who want to understand a language, not just pass a quiz.
Taught in strict frequency order.
| Words | Time | What you can do |
|---|---|---|
| 1,000 | 20 days | Get by: greetings, directions, ordering, shopping, simple questions. |
| 2,000 | 40 days | Converse: opinions, plans, everyday small talk, follow a casual chat. |
| 3,000 | 60 days | Comfortable: most non-technical conversation, news headlines, simple shows. |
| 4,000 | 80 days | Fluent enough: films and articles with little effort, real nuance. |
| 6,000 | under a year | The vast majority of everyday speech and writing. Only specialist vocabulary left. |
No magic, no mascot.
No games, no gimmicks.
No streaks to guilt you, no badges, no cartoon mascot. You are not a child to be bribed with points. You decided to learn this language. Polylex gives you the most direct path and gets out of the way.
You do not learn a second language the way you learned your first.
As a child your brain soaked up words from immersion. That door is mostly closed. But you gained something better: you can reason, connect, and build on what you already know. Every card plays to that strength, the roots, the etymology, the cognates you half recognize, so a new word lands as a connection, not a random string to memorize.
It only works if you show up.
No app changes this. Plan on a focused session almost every day. That discipline is yours, not a streak we dangle over you. In return the deal is honest: a few months of real work and the language is yours, and after that a little upkeep keeps it for good.
Understand it. Don't cram it.
Etymology, not rote
Each word comes with its origin, roots, and cognates, so it sticks because it makes sense. You learn the family, not the orphan.
Real sentences, read aloud
See and hear every word used in context, graded from A1 to C2, with clear, natural-sounding audio.
Spaced repetition that works
The FSRS algorithm schedules each review for the moment you are about to forget. No wasted reps.
Morphology and word families
See how a word inflects and the relatives you already half know. Every word multiplies.
Every word, fully revealed.
The honest answers.
How much is free?
The first 250 words are free forever, no credit card required: 20 new words a day in one language, with unlimited review. It is a real free tier, not a timed trial. Once you have added 250 words, you upgrade to keep adding new ones, and everything you have already learned stays free to review for good.
What makes Polylex different?
Most apps give you a word and a translation. Polylex gives you the whole word: its etymology and roots, the cognates you already know, real example sentences at every level, full grammar forms, and a memory hook. You understand it, so it sticks.
Is Polylex the only tool I need?
No. Polylex does one job: vocabulary, which is the hardest and longest part of learning a language. Pair it with whatever covers the rest for you: a grammar book, a teacher, shows, conversation. Come with the words in your head and all of it gets easier.
Can I use Polylex to learn a language from scratch?
No. Polylex is designed to address the hardest, most time-consuming part of learning a language: the vocabulary. It does not attempt to teach you grammar or pronunciation. It is, however, entirely possible to combine Polylex with free resources to cover the rest.
Less than a year, really?
Yes, if you put in the daily work. Fifty new cards a day plus your reviews comes to an hour or two, and at that pace you reach 6,000 words in about four months; go slower or miss runs of days and it still lands well inside a year. The 6,000 most frequent words carry the vast majority of everyday speech and writing, so you understand most of what you read and hear. Past that, what is left is mostly specialized vocabulary, the legal, medical, or technical terms that native speakers also pick up only when they need them. Grammar and speaking practice are still on you, and Polylex is built to slot alongside them.
What counts as a "card"?
A new word you add to study. Reviewing words you already have is always unlimited, even on Free. The daily limit is only on adding new words.
Does it use spaced repetition?
Yes. Polylex schedules every review with FSRS, the modern spaced-repetition algorithm, so you see each word right before you would forget it. No wasted reps.
Which languages can I learn?
Right now: Greek, Arabic, German, Japanese, Mandarin, Spanish, and Romanian, each with the same depth: etymology, examples, grammar, and audio for every word. More are added over time.
Can I cancel anytime?
Yes. Pro is a yearly subscription you can cancel whenever you like; you keep access to the end of the term, then drop back to Free with all your cards intact. Lifetime is a one-time payment, yours forever.
Start free. Go unlimited when you are serious.
- First 250 words free
- 20 new a day
- Unlimited reviews
- Full card depth
- One language
- Unlimited cards, the full 50 a day pace
- Every language
- Unlimited audio
- Everything in Free
- Everything in Pro
- One payment, forever
- Limited launch offer