Articulate

Gamified vocabulary learning through etymology. Small daily gains, compounding results.

The Philosophy

1.01³⁶⁵ = 37.78

Inspired by Atomic Habits — tiny daily gains compound, not add. 1% better each day isn't +3.65 after a year. It's 37.78x.

Gamification makes you show up. Etymology makes it stick. The chart tells the rest.

Gamified consistency Etymology-powered Compounding gains

Content Scale

All definitions, examples, and fun facts are original content

1,005

Words

19

Four Main Screens

Core navigation built around daily learning flow

Home

Daily word card, streak counter, compound multiplier (1.01^n), XP bar

Explore

Browse by root or category, search, visual root connections

Review

7 learning modes: Cold Word, Root Review, Combinator, Daily Chain, Synonyms, Production

Settings

Theme (light/dark/system), language toggle, notification preferences

Gamification That Works

Tested with friends — even native English speakers couldn't recognize some words

Cold Word Challenge — surface rare words you've never seen. Surprisingly addictive — friends competed to beat each other's scores
7 learning modes — Cold Word, Root Review, Combinator, Daily Chain, Synonyms, Production, and more unlock as you level up
8 XP levels with streak bonuses up to 50% — rewarding consistency over intensity
22 achievements across 4 categories — unlock badges that track real milestones, not vanity metrics
Spaced repetition (SM-2) ensures words stick long-term — the algorithm decides what you review, not you

Tech Stack

Modern React Native with Expo managed workflow

Core

React Native + Expo SDK 54, React 19, TypeScript 5.9

Navigation

React Navigation, AsyncStorage for local persistence

Features

expo-notifications, expo-speech, expo-haptics, Sentry monitoring

Architecture

Fully offline-first — no backend required

App Layer React Native + Expo SDK 54

State Layer Settings + Progress + Mastery Contexts

Logic Layer SM-2 Engine, Cold Word Selector, Daily Word

Storage Layer AsyncStorage (local, zero network)

Offline-First

AsyncStorage for all persistence. Zero network dependency — the app works fully without internet.

SM-2 Algorithm

Spaced repetition engine calculates optimal review intervals with ease factor adjustment per word.

Etymology Engine

Latin/Greek root analysis connects word families for deeper retention across 215 mapped roots.

Daily Pipeline

Cold word selection, review queue generation, and mastery tracking — all seeded per day for consistency.

By the Numbers

1,005

Words

215

Roots

22

Achievements

7

Learning Modes

19

Articulate

Gamified vocabulary learning through etymology. Show up daily, get better forever.

Built by Jazz Lien

2026