Why You're Studying 2 Hours a Day and Still Only Learning 10 New Words (And How to Fix It)
If you've been putting in serious time with Anki and feel like you're barely moving forward, you're not alone — and you're definitely not doing anything wrong. This is actually one of the most common frustrations among language learners who use Anki flashcards, and the good news is that it comes down to a few simple settings, not effort.
Let me share a message we recently received from Ray, a member of the Speakada community who's been learning French with our French Vocabulary Bundle. His situation perfectly captures what so many learners experience:
"Over the last 7 days, I have dedicated at least 2 hours a day going over the flashcards. The problem is that at the 150 word level, I am repeating the same words day after day. I am just getting 10 new words per 2-hour practice session. It is becoming boring and I am losing interest."
Two hours a day. That's not a lazy learner — that's someone who genuinely wants to succeed. And yet Ray was stuck at 10 new words per session, feeling like he was spinning his wheels.
The problem wasn't Ray's effort. It was Anki's default settings.
Ray was learning French, but everything in this article applies equally whether you're studying Anki Spanish Flashcards, Anki Italian Flashcards, Anki German Flashcards, Anki Dutch Flashcards, Anki Polish Flashcards, Anki English Flashcards, or any other language in our library.
Here's exactly what was happening — and the three fixes that can turn things around immediately.
The Real Reason Anki Feels Slow (It's Not You)
Anki is built around spaced repetition, which means it automatically schedules cards for review at the optimal time for long-term retention. That system is brilliant for memory — but it comes with a catch: Anki also has a built-in limit on how many new cards it introduces each day.
Out of the box, that limit is often set to just 10 new cards per day.
So no matter how long you sit at your desk, no matter how motivated you are, Anki will show you those 10 new words and then spend the rest of your session cycling through reviews of cards you've already seen. Your two hours of studying becomes two hours of reviewing — with only a fraction of that time dedicated to actually learning something new.
That's the core of what was happening to Ray. Here's how to fix it.
Fix #1: Increase Your "New Cards Per Day" Limit
This is the most immediate change you can make, and it has the most dramatic impact.
In Anki, click the gear icon next to your deck name. Inside the settings, look for "New cards/day." If it's set to 10 or lower, try bumping it up to 20, 30, or even higher depending on how much time you have and how quickly you want to progress.
Doubling from 10 to 20 new cards per day doesn't double your study time — but it does double your new vocabulary intake. Over a month, that's the difference between learning 300 new words versus 600.
Be realistic with yourself here. If you set it too high and feel overwhelmed, your review backlog will pile up and become daunting. Start at 20–30 and adjust from there. The goal is a pace that's challenging but sustainable.
This single setting is one of the most underrated levers in all of Anki — and it's the first thing to check if you feel like you're stuck. For a deeper look at how Anki works under the hood, our guide on How Anki Works to Learn a Language Better is a great place to start.
Fix #2: Show New Cards Before Reviews
Even after increasing your daily new card limit, there's a second problem that can quietly undermine your progress: Anki might be scheduling your new cards after your review pile — which means you have to slog through dozens of reviews before you ever see anything fresh.
On a long session, this is manageable. But on a day when you only have 20 minutes, you might burn through reviews and never get to a single new word.
The fix is just as simple as the first one:
Open your deck settings again (the same gear icon), and look for "Display order" or "New/review order." Change the setting to "Show before reviews."
Now Anki will present your new vocabulary first, while your focus is sharpest. Reviews — the repetition of words you're already working on — come afterward. This is especially useful in the early stages of learning a new language, when every new word feels like a genuine discovery.
Fix #3: Suspend Cards You Already Know
This one is easy to overlook but incredibly powerful, especially if you're using a comprehensive deck like our Vocabulary Flashcards or Grammar Flashcards.
If a card covers something you already know well — a word you learned years ago, or a grammatical concept that's second nature to you — there's no reason to keep reviewing it. Every unnecessary review is time that could have gone toward something new.
During a review session, tap "More" (or the three-dot menu on mobile) and choose "Suspend Card." The card disappears from your rotation immediately. Anki shifts its focus to what you actually need to work on.
You can also suspend cards in bulk through Anki's card browser, which is worth exploring if you know you're already solid on an entire category of vocabulary. For example, if you're an intermediate French learner, you probably don't need daily reminders of how to say "bonjour" or "merci."
This is actually one of the things we love most about how Speakada decks are designed — you're never locked into a one-size-fits-all pace. Whether you're working through the French Beginner Grammar Flashcards (A0-A2) or pushing into the French Advanced Grammar Flashcards (C1), you can tune the experience to match your actual level.
The same applies across every language: you can explore Spanish Beginner Grammar Flashcards (A0-A2) if you're just getting started, or jump into Spanish Advanced Grammar Flashcards (C1) if you're pushing toward fluency.
Why This Matters More Than You Think
Language learning stalls happen more often from friction in the learning system than from lack of ability or effort. Ray wasn't failing at French — he was being bottlenecked by default settings that weren't built for someone with his level of commitment.
Once you make these three adjustments, you're likely to notice a real shift within just a few days:
- More new vocabulary in every session
- A cleaner, less repetitive review queue
- A sense of genuine forward momentum
And that momentum matters. Boredom and the feeling of going in circles are among the top reasons people quit language learning. Small optimizations like these keep the process interesting and rewarding — which is what actually leads to fluency over time.
If you want to understand the full system — how Anki schedules cards, how the algorithm decides what to show you, and how to build a review habit that sticks — our in-depth guide Why Anki is Good for Learning walks through it all.
What's the Right Deck for Your Language and Level?
If Ray's situation resonates with you and you're also looking to expand what you're working with, here's a quick snapshot of where to start by language:
Spanish: The Spanish Vocabulary Bundle is a great all-in-one starting point, and the Spanish Top 2000 Words Flashcards are ideal for building a strong foundation in high-frequency vocabulary. For a full overview, see the Best Spanish Anki Decks That You Need Now.
French: Alongside the vocabulary decks, the French Pronunciation Bundle is worth adding early — French pronunciation is notoriously tricky, and getting it right from the start saves a lot of re-learning later. See the Best French Anki Decks That You Need Now.
Italian: The Italian Vocabulary Bundle pairs beautifully with the Italian Grammar Flashcards Bundle. Check out the Best Italian Anki Decks That You Need Now.
German: German has some genuinely tricky sounds that are worth addressing head-on — the German Minimal Pairs Flashcards are a smart add-on for pronunciation training. The Best German Anki Decks That You Need Now has the full picture.
Dutch, Polish, and English: Each has its own dedicated library — explore Anki Dutch Flashcards, Anki Polish Flashcards, and Anki English Flashcards to find the right decks for your level and goals.
Not sure where to start? The About Speakada Anki Flashcards page gives a full overview of how our decks are structured across all languages and skill areas — Pronunciation, Vocabulary, and Grammar — so you can build a study plan that actually fits your goals.
Get More Tips Like This Every Week
If you found this helpful, you'll love the Speakada Weekly newsletter. Every week, we share practical Anki tips, language learning strategies, and ideas for making your study sessions more effective — things like what Ray discovered, but delivered to your inbox before you run into the problem yourself.
Sign up for the Speakada Newsletter and join a community of smart, motivated language learners who are getting more out of every study session.
It's free, it's practical, and it's written for people who are serious about making real progress — not just going through the motions.
The Bottom Line
If you're putting in two hours a day and only picking up 10 new words, the problem isn't your dedication — it's three settings in Anki that are easy to miss and even easier to fix:
- Raise your "New cards/day" limit from the default 10 to something that matches your actual study time
- Show new cards before reviews so fresh vocabulary gets your sharpest attention
- Suspend cards you already know to clear space for what actually needs work
Make those three changes, and your next Anki session could feel completely different.
Got a question about your Anki setup or your language learning routine? Browse the Anki Language Learning Blog for more guides, or reach out — we read everything.
