What is sentence mining?

Saving sentences from what you read and watch, each with one word you don’t know yet, and reviewing them as flashcards. You learn the word in a sentence you already understood, with its sound and the way it’s really used.

A sentence that’s one step beyond what you know: you understand everything in it but one word or one bit of grammar. That one new thing is what you learn, and the rest of the sentence explains it.

Does sentence mining work?

Yes, for words you’ve met in something you enjoyed. A word you saved from a scene you remember comes with its meaning, its sound and a real use, and a daily review keeps it from fading.

When should I start sentence mining?

Once you know the most common words. Before that, nearly every sentence has several new words, so there’s little to mine. Learn the first 1,000 to 1,500 words as flashcards, then start.

How many sentences should I mine a day?

As many as you can review. Every sentence you save comes back for review for weeks, so keep the total to what fits in your daily review. If reviews start taking more than half an hour, save fewer for a while.

Can I sentence mine on my phone?

Yes. In Misu, select text in any app and tap Save to Misu, or scan a page of a book with your camera and tap the word you want.

Sentence Mining: What It Is and How to Do It

How it works

When you meet a sentence where you know every word but one, save it. Later, review it as a flashcard: the sentence on the front, the new word’s meaning on the back.

You meet

¿Dónde está el baño, por favor?

Where’s the bathroom, please?

You know every word but baño.

You save

el baño

bathroom

That’s all sentence mining is. What makes it work is where the sentence comes from: a show you were enjoying, a video you chose, a book you were reading. You already understood the scene, so the new word arrives with its meaning half-explained, its sound and the way people really use it.

What makes a good sentence

One new word. If you have to look up three words, the sentence can’t explain any of them. Skip it and find an easier one.
Short. One line of subtitles or one sentence of a book. You’ll read it many times, so long ones get tiring.
Useful. A word you’ll meet again beats a rare one. If you’ve seen it twice already, save it.
From something you enjoyed. You’ll remember the scene, and the scene brings back the word.
With its sound. Hearing the sentence teaches the word’s pronunciation and rhythm, not just its spelling.

How to start

Learn the most common words first

Sentence mining needs sentences you mostly understand. Until you know the first 1,000 or so words, most sentences have several new ones.
In Misu The 1,500 most common words in ten languages
Watch and read things just above your level

Pick shows, videos and books you can mostly follow, with subtitles in the language when there are any.
Look up the word, save the sentence

When one word stops you, look it up and save it with the line it came from.
In Misu Look up and save words on YouTube, Netflix and any page
Review every day

New words fade within days unless you meet them again. A few minutes of review a day keeps them.
In Misu Reviews planned for every flashcard

Where to find sentences

Shows and videos

Subtitles in the language are the easiest place to mine: short lines, with the sound right there.
Books and articles

Graded readers first, then anything you’d read anyway. In Misu, scan a page with your phone and tap the word.
Podcasts

Episodes with transcripts let you find the line you just heard and save it.
Messages and posts

What friends and creators write is how people really talk. Select the text and tap Save to Misu.

How many to save

Every sentence you save comes back for review for weeks, so the right number is the one you can keep reviewing. Keep your daily review to a time you’ll actually do, and if it starts taking more than half an hour, save fewer sentences for a while. Saving five good sentences a day beats saving fifty and giving up.

Mistakes that slow you down

Mining too early. Learn the most common words first, or every sentence has too many new ones.
Saving every new word. Pick the ones you’ll meet again. A rare word you’ll never see twice isn’t worth a month of reviews.
Sentences that are too hard. If you need the translation to understand it, the sentence isn’t teaching you its new word.
Skipping reviews. Saving is the easy half. The review is what keeps the word.

Free word lists

Start with the most common words in your language, each with audio, and a level test that finds where you are in about four minutes.

Sentence mining, explained.