Clozemaster

Languages and libraries

language learning

SHOW HN2017

145points
67comments
#264of 2,242 in 2017
Top 12%of 2017 by points

How HN took it

MixedNo clear lean

7 positive, 14 neutral or asking, 1 mixed, 15 critical, out of 37 comments about the project. Thread score -0.16.

Execution: 2 for, 11 againstIdea: 5 for, 1 againstDesign: 0 for, 2 againstPricing: 0 for, 1 against

The thread, comment by comment

Each row is a top-level comment and its replies, in HN's order. Select a cell to open that comment on HN.

positive neutral or mixed critical about another commenter or something else the maker

What HN said

What people liked

  • Efficient, entertaining way to study in context

    From 1 comment
    • I finished the Duolingo French tree. I now use Clozemaster for French ( and a number of other languages ) and find that it is a very efficient and entertaining way of studying…
      seesomesense on HN
  • Simple interface and good premise

    From 2 comments
    • Just want to say I like the app. The concept of understanding a word inside whole sentences make much more sense then only to learn single words.
      0xcb0 on HN
    • Hi Mike, Love this app, love the simplicity of the user interface. Do you know of a way to quickly save words to a file? (I ask because I'm brushing up on my chinese and have…
      hpyhpyjoyjoy87 on HN
  • Complements Duolingo well

    From 2 comments
    • Language learning also isn't about finding the one app to rule them all. It's about using various different approaches in parallel that, together, expose you to the breadth. This…
      always_good on HN
    • I finished the Duolingo French tree. I now use Clozemaster for French ( and a number of other languages ) and find that it is a very efficient and entertaining way of studying…
      seesomesense on HN

Objections

  • Japanese audio and hiragana readings are inconsistent

    From 3 comments
    • I noticed something weird when doing Japanese. When you answer a question, it says the correct sentence out loud in one voice, but sometimes the voice says something different…
      tiglionabbit on HN
    • Huh, after playing it a bit more, I've noticed that sometimes the hiragana it shows for the kanji in the sentence does not match the way either voice pronounces it.
      tiglionabbit on HN
    • This is exactly the problem! :) For example for 「何」 you'll likely seen the kana written as 「なに」 instead of 「なん」 for 「何ですか」
      Nadya on HN
  • Answer matching too strict for multiple correct answers

    From 1 comment
    • I really like the format and premise. It doesn't seem, however, to be sufficiently flexible in the various ways to fill in the blank (at least in Russian). For example, when…
      pcmonk on HN
  • Paywall appears too early

    From 1 comment
    • Substitute a word requires certain language knowledge. This should be tested somehow, so that the application knows the user level. For example, having no prior Spanish knowledge…
      kvakvs on HN

Requests

  • Add romanization display for hanzi languages

    From 1 comment
    • Mike, this is super cool. Two requests: 1) Cantonese doesn't have a flag. Maybe just use the Hong Kong one, at the risk of upsetting the rest of Guangdong? 2) For hanzi-based…
      skosch on HN
  • Add a don't know button in multiple choice

    From 1 comment
    • The multiple choice mode is missing a button for "i don't know". I figured out you can hit enter to get the same, but i don't think everyone would. E: Gave it a bit more of a…
      Mithaldu on HN
  • Lifetime payment option for Pro

    From 1 comment
    • Hi Mike, loving the app so far. Any thoughts on a one-time lifetime payment for pro?
      atomk on HN

Questions

  • How are bad sentences in the source data handled

    From 1 comment
    • Awesome work! I've built similar projects like this but nothing at this scale, or this polished. I have a bunch of questions: How do you deal with bad sentences/mistakes in the…
      laurieg on HN
  • How is frequency grouping done for inflected languages

    From 1 comment
    • This is great. How did you do the frequency groupings for more complex languages like German or Icelandic? Did you use a word stemmer or did you find lists that include noun…
      halfdan on HN

Alternatives named

  • Duolingo

    From 2 comments
    • I am a regular Duolingo learner but I have yet to see how this is better in a significant way (I am not trying to be a dick but just giving honest opinion - sorry :( ). Or maybe…
      tasubotadas on HN
    • This is much better than duo lingo. Amazing job!
      zubairq on HN
  • Lyricstraining

    From 1 comment
    • In a similar vein: www.lyricstraining.com Watch YouTube videos in whatever language you're learning and fill in missing words. No connection to it...Just discovered it a few…
      durkie on HN
  • Bliubliu

    From 1 comment
  • Anki

    From 1 comment
    • Good job! Having used Anki and the mass exposure technique to learn a bit of Spanish, I can see this becoming a useful tool in any language learner's arsenal.
      carlmungz on HN

Category, keywords, summaries and labels on this page were made by AI (Thread Reader v2) and not checked by hand. Each point links to the comments it came from.

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