Cloze deletion: learning with fill-in-the-blank sentences

What is cloze deletion?

“Cloze deletion” is the technique of taking a real sentence, hiding one word, and asking you to fill in the blank — for example, “No sé si es ______ o no.” You produce the missing word (feliz), then check. It’s the same idea as a language exam’s gap-fill, turned into a study tool.

Why it beats two-sided flashcards

A classic flashcard (casa → house) tests recognition of a translation. A cloze tests something closer to real use: can you retrieve the right word, in the right form, in a real sentence? That means:

• Active recall — you generate the answer instead of flipping a card, which builds stronger memory.
• Context — you see the word’s grammar and the words around it, so you learn usage, not just a gloss.
• Less interference — the sentence gives each word a distinct “home,” so similar words don’t blur together.

Cloze + spaced repetition

Cloze cards get even stronger inside a spaced repetition system: each fill-in-the-blank is a small recall test, and the algorithm decides when to run it again. This is the engine behind tools like Clozemaster and Anki’s cloze notes.

How 10 Words makes cloze playable

10 Words takes the cloze idea and turns it into a crossword. Instead of one blank in a line of text, the missing word is a run of crossword cells you type into, crossing other words you’ve learned. It’s the proven fill-in-the-blank method — with sentences drawn from Tatoeba, ordered by frequency, and scheduled by FSRS — in a form that actually feels like a game.