Blog
Notes from past the beginner stage.
Vocabulary, habits, and what actually works when the app you were using runs out of road. No listicles. Founder voice.
The bugs that look like success: quality checks for AI-generated learning content
A refusal that shipped as a card, invented words, a checklist that measured the wrong thing, and a prompt that disagreed with its own validator. What testing AI-generated vocabulary taught me about LLM quality — and what the checks still miss.
What a Forgotten Language Taught Me About Building One
A woman who spoke Russian better than English at seven, and nothing at forty. What attrition research says about how language is actually built — and why LAFwords teaches through encounters, not explanations.
Anki Alternatives for Intermediate Learners: An Honest Guide
Six honest comparisons of the most-recommended Anki alternatives — plus the one gap most of them share, and how to pick the tool that actually closes yours.
Active vs Passive Vocabulary: A Better Way to Think About Words You 'Know' But Can't Use
The active/passive frame is the wrong model. Vocabulary lives on a depth gradient — and the work that closes the gap is meeting words across varied contexts, not drilling.
The Intermediate Plateau: Why Your Language Stalled at B1/B2 (and How to Break Through)
A comprehensive field guide for B1/B2 language learners stuck between competence and fluency — what the plateau actually is, why it happens, and the five habits that move you through it.
What to Do After Duolingo: A B1 → B2 Plan That Actually Works
You finished Duolingo and the language still feels foreign. Here's the practical plan for getting from intermediate to actual fluency — no app listicle.