Frequently Asked Questions

What is Scrabble Trainer?

Scrabble Trainer is a vocabulary drilling app for Scrabble players. It combines flashcard-style word drilling with spaced repetition to help you learn the words that matter most — two-letter words, Q-without-U words, hooks, bingos, and more — prioritizing the words you keep getting wrong.

What word categories are available?

The app launches with 5,000+ words across these categories:

• 2-letter words — the most impactful for casual players (QI, ZA, XI, etc.)
• 3-letter words — expands your play options significantly
• Q-without-U words — QOPH, QANAT, QADI, QAID, QINTAR, and others
• Vowel dumps — words that use multiple vowels efficiently (EUOUAE, etc.)
• Hooks — front and back hooks that extend existing board words (BATE→ABATE, LONG→ALONG)
• 7-letter bingos — full-rack plays (RETAINS, NASTIER, STAINER from the AEINRST family, etc.)

What is the difference between recognition and recall mode?

Recognition: A word appears on screen. You tap "Valid" (it's a legal Scrabble word) or "Invalid" (it isn't). Best for 2-letter, 3-letter, hooks, and vowel dumps where you need to recognize words quickly.

Recall: A scrambled letter rack appears. You type valid words you can form from those letters. The app shows all correct solutions after your answer. Best for bingos and Q-without-U, where competitive players need to know every possible anagram of a rack.

How does spaced repetition work?

The app uses an SM-2 variant algorithm. New words start with no interval. When you get a word right, the next review interval increases (e.g., 1 day → 3 days → 7 days → longer). When you get it wrong, the interval resets and it comes back sooner. Words you haven't reviewed in a while are prioritized over new ones in each drill session. Your session summary shows how many words are due for review in the next session.

What does the skill assessment do?

On first launch, a 10-word quiz tests your recognition of common Scrabble words. Based on your results, the app categorizes you as beginner, intermediate, or advanced and recommends a starting category. You can skip the quiz if you already know what you want to study. The assessment result is stored locally and can be retaken from Settings.

How does the daily streak work?

Your streak increments by 1 each day you complete at least one drill session. Missing a full day resets your streak to 0. Your longest streak is stored separately and never resets. The Progress tab shows both your current and longest streak. Session study reminders (configurable in Settings) can help you maintain your streak.

Can I see my mastery for individual words?

Yes. On the Progress tab, tap any category to see a word list sorted by mastery status (learned, learning, new). Tap any individual word to see its full drill history: number of times seen, times correct, recall percentage, and last reviewed date. This lets you identify specific words to target — like TISANE at 58% recall — and they will come up first when you drill that category next.

Can I configure how many words I drill per session?

Yes. Go to Settings and change the session length to 10, 20, 30, or 50 words. The default is 20. The session ends after that number of words and shows a summary screen with your accuracy and streak update.

What does the Basic Subscription include?

The Basic Subscription removes all ads (banner and interstitial) and adds cloud sync. Your complete drill history, mastery percentages, session data, and per-word statistics sync across all your devices. If you study on both your phone and a tablet (or study on a laptop browser at home), the subscription ensures your progress is consistent everywhere. All on-device features — every word category, both drill modes, spaced repetition, progress tracking, streaks, and study reminders — are available on the Free tier.

Can I use the app offline?

Yes. All word data ships with the app. Every word category, both drill modes, spaced repetition state, progress data, and streaks work completely offline. The app stores everything locally using SQLite. Cloud sync (Basic Subscription) requires a network connection but queues changes locally and syncs when you reconnect.

Is my data private?

Yes. Your drill history and progress data are your own. They are never shared or used for any purpose beyond running your account. See our Privacy & Security page for full details.