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Top ESL Mistakes Flashcards — 300 Words

Drill 300 English words paired with their most common ESL mistakes. Each card shows a frequent wrong usage, the correction, and a one-line explanation of why. Learning the mistake alongside the word locks the correct form in faster than studying the word alone.

Practice all 300 entries

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Learning Words Through Their Mistakes

Studies show learners who explicitly study common errors alongside correct usage retain the right form better than learners who study only the correct form. The error highlights why the correct form is correct. Each card here pairs one frequent ESL mistake with the correction and a one-line explanation.

How to Use the Mistake Cards

When you flip the card, read both the wrong form and the correct form aloud. Then read the explanation. The contrast cements the correct version more efficiently than memorising the right form alone. Two passes through this deck — once to recognise the mistake, once to produce the correction — covers most ESL grammar potholes.

First 20 entries in this collection

quality /ˈkwɑːləti/ How good or bad something is; the degree of excellence of a thing. quantity /ˈkwɑːntəti/ The amount of something; how much or how many you have. quarter /ˈkwɔːrtər/ One fourth of something; or a three-month period; or a section of a city. reach /riːtʃ/ To stretch out your hand or arm to get something that is far from you. react /riˈækt/ To do or say something as a response to what someone else does or says. reaction /riˈækʃən/ A response or behavior that happens because of something someone does or says. read /riːd/ To look at written words or text and understand what they say. reader /ˈriːdər/ Someone who reads or enjoys reading books and written material. regulate /ˈreɡjuleɪt/ To control or manage something by making rules, or to adjust something to a certain level. regulation /ˌreɡjuˈleɪʃən/ An official rule made by government or organization that people must follow. reject /rɪˈdʒekt/ To say no to something or refuse to accept or use it. relate /rɪˈleɪt/ To show how things are connected, or to understand and connect with someone. relation /rɪˈleɪʃən/ A connection between things or people; family members or how people know each other. accept /əkˈsɛpt/ To take or agree to something that is offered or given. act /ækt/ To do something; to take action or behave in a particular way. actually /ˈæktʃuəli/ In fact or really. Used to say what is true, especially when it's different from what others think. add /æd/ To join one thing to another so you have more in total. advantage /ədˈvɑːntɪdʒ/ Something that helps you succeed or do better than others at something. adventure /ədˈventʃər/ A thrilling journey or experience with something unexpected or risky happening. advice /ədˈvaɪs/ Helpful ideas or suggestions that someone gives you to help you decide what to do.

FAQ

How is this collection assembled?

Cards are selected by a metadata query against the dictionary — for example, "irregular-verbs" pulls every entry where the verb_conjugation field has is_irregular = true. The deck stays current automatically as new dictionary entries publish.

Should I study this before or after CEFR levels?

Use collections as a focused supplement, not a replacement. Build your CEFR foundation first, then drill collections to plug gaps. The "Irregular Verbs" collection in particular is worth doing in parallel with A1 and A2 — most irregulars are top-1k words.

Why are some entries missing?

The dictionary publishes entries in tiered batches. Specialist or rare entries may not have been added yet. Check back as new batches publish.

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