Why You Keep Forgetting English Words (And How to Fix It)
Find your own personal way to learn and use new words in English.
"I keep forgetting the right words in meetings."
"My vocabulary feels too basic for professional conversations."
"I know the word, but I just can’t remember it when I need it."
"When I’m under pressure, my mind goes blank, and I forget my vocabulary."
These are real frustrations I hear from my clients when they talk about speaking English at work. Vocabulary is often a top priority in our sessions together. Are you the same? Have you tried different methods to grow your word bank but still find it difficult to remember and use words effectively?
Forgetting is natural, but it doesn’t have to hold you back. With the right techniques, a personalised learning strategy and consistency, you can build a strong, lasting vocabulary.
In this blog post, I’ll explore the science behind learning vocabulary, suggest ways to actively work on it, and guide you towards building your own unique learning plan.
The Science Behind Forgetting
How quickly do you forget new information?
In 1885, Hermann Ebbinghaus, a German psychologist, studied his own memory. He tested himself at different intervals to see how much information he retained. He summarised his findings in the Forgetting Curve:
The forgetting curve is a mathematical formula by Hermann Ebbinghaus that originated in 1885. The curve demonstrated the rate at which information is forgotten over time if we don’t attempt to retain it. (Source: 5 Ways to Challenge the Forgetting Curve, LearningUpon.com)
Ebbinghaus’s Forgetting Curve shows we forget information over time, with the steepest drop shortly after learning it. For example, you may leave a meeting with your head full of new facts and figures, only to find you can remember very little of it only hours later.
For English learners, this means newly learned words are most at risk of being forgotten. Without action, up to 90% of new information can be lost within a week.
But don’t stress! There is an answer…
How to Fix It: Effective Memory Strategies
Here are some ways to overcome the forgetting curve and improve your English vocabulary retention:
Spaced Repetition:
Review words at regular intervals to reinforce memory. I recommend using vocabulary apps like Quizlet, Anki, or Memrise (I’ll write more about my favourite tech and apps for English learning in a future blog post). These apps help you collect and practise words at the ideal frequency.
When you regularly repeat and review the words you want to learn, you can flatten the forgetting curve. After just three repeats over three days you will remember a much higher percentage of information.
Active Recall:
Practise retrieving words from memory, rather than passive review. Think of it like pumping up your brain’s muscle and putting in the reps. 😊
Barbara Oakley and Olav Schewe write in Learn Like a Pro,
“When you’re learning, it’s important to study actively, making your brain work hard or think hard.”
How can you work your brain muscle? Here are some ideas:
Try to recall key words from a text.
Create mental images or funny stories.
Make your own questions.
Get someone to quiz you.
Try to remember key words during mundane activities.
Use the ‘Memory Palace’ technique. (I’m going to write about this technique next week).
Make your own test sentences (or get ChatGPT to make gap-fill activities).
Cover, recall, repeat: learning idioms related to networking.
Contextual Learning:
Learn words in relevant contexts. This is key. There’s no point in learning lists if you don’t know how to use the words.
As Olly Richards, Storylearning.com, says,
“In other words, from the time you encounter a new word… you need to take it on the same journey through your mind to reach the point where you own it, and can use it naturally.”
Ways to do this:
Write sentences or short stories.
Engage in language exchanges or online communities (e.g., LinkedIn, networking groups, YouTube channels).
Narrate daily activities.
Write an English journal
Learn ‘chunks’ of language.
Personalisation:
Focus on relevant words for you. The English language has over 500,000 words (according to the Oxford English Dictionary). I certainly don’t know them all! Think about areas where you need to use English and brainstorm words and phrases. (Try making a visual mind map!)
Visual Thinking:
“Your brain is super visual – almost half of the human cortex is involved in visual processing, while less than 10 percent is auditory. This means your brain has a great visual memory,”
writes Barbara Oakley in Learn Like a Pro.
Visual thinking Tips:
Use mind maps, you can sketch your mindmap or use an online tools like Miro or Canva.
Draw simple doodles or diagrams (The Noun Project will give you icon ideas).
Use colour-coding – Research shows it improves your memory recall by 40%!
Use visualisation techniques (e.g., visualise two people shaking hands for "negotiation").
Bringing it all together: Your Path to Vocabulary Success
Using strategies like spaced repetition, active recall, contextual learning, and visual thinking can improve your vocabulary.
The key is personalisation. There's no one-size-fits-all approach. Reflect on your learning style and experiment. You know yourself and how you learn best.
Ask yourself:
What are possible ways you can learn, remember, and use new words? Make a list based on what works best for you. ✍️ (Go on, write your list now…)
Remember, building a strong vocabulary is a journey. Consistency is key. Little and often is the best approach. I’d love to know which methods you find most useful, please send me a message.
If you’d like more English language learning support, I’m here to help. Contact me to organise a free discovery call. ⬇️
Hello,
I’m Jane Carvell, a business English trainer, language coach and visual thinking enthusiast. I help German-speaking professionals improve their English communication skills, so that they can build better connections to grow in an international working world.
