You forget faster than you think
Hermann Ebbinghaus mapped it in 1885: without review, you lose about half of new information within a day, and most of the rest within a week.[1] This is the forgetting curve. A 2015 replication confirmed his results hold under modern experimental conditions.[2]
The fix is timing
Spaced repetition works by making you review a fact just before you'd forget it. Each successful recall pushes the next review further out — 1 day, then 3, then a week, then a month. Eventually the interval stretches to years.
The result is permanent memory with the minimum number of reviews. No cramming required. A meta-analysis of 29 studies found spaced retrieval practice produces significantly better long-term retention than massed practice.[3]
How Kangalang fights forgetfulness
Every word you mark as known enters Kangalang's review queue. Most apps have not truly nailed the review schedule. Our algorithm adapts in real time, nudging new words back to you within hours and easing off as they become second nature. The result is a study rhythm that feels effortless: the words you’ve mastered stay out of your way, and the ones that need attention rise to the top until they finally click.
References
- Ebbinghaus, H. (1913). Memory: A Contribution to Experimental Psychology. Teachers College, Columbia University. (Original work published 1885.)
- Murre, J.M.J., & Dros, J. (2015). Replication and analysis of Ebbinghaus' forgetting curve. PLOS ONE, 10(7), e0120644. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0120644
- Latimier, A., Peyre, H., & Ramus, F. (2021). A meta-analytic review of the benefit of spacing out retrieval practice episodes on retention. Educational Psychology Review, 33(3), 959–987. doi:10.1007/s10648-020-09572-8