Vokabel 3.34

Overview

Vokabel is a vocabulary training package for those who want to learn and remember words in different languages by playing entertaining games such as hangman, flashcard, etc.

Installation

The installation procedure is straightforward and really quick. Just download the installer, run it, and follow the steps in order to complete the installation. There are no advanced settings in it (apart from the shortcut and installation directory ones), and the main installation process will take only a few seconds to finish.

The setup package includes no harmful software (viruses, trojans, etc.) or any kind of 3^rd-party advertised software.

Supported operating systems are all versions of Windows. Note however, that depending on the operating system that’s installed in your computer, you might have to use a different installer. More specifically, users running Windows Vista, 7, 8 and 8.1 can use the most recent version of Vokabel (version 3.03), while users with older Windows OS (Windows XP and older) will have to download and install an older version of Vokabel (version 2.31).

A version for Android devices is available as well.

Interface

Once you open the program you will be asked to select its main language, before you can start using it.

Vokabel’s interface is pretty plain, basically, since it doesn’t have many graphics or features to fill in the main window. In essence, the whole window is divided into two parts; the toolbar and the area with the list of added words.

The toolbar has many options, such as Undo/Redo, Cut/Copy/Paste, Properties, Import, Set, Clear, etc., which refer to the words included in the program's word database, as well as some buttons that initiate the available games (Quiz, Learning, Flashcard, Hangman, Anagram and Multiple Choice). In the right end of the toolbar are two more buttons (Search and Translate) which use web services to find and translate words.

The main area of the window includes all words that you have added in the program’s vocabulary, as well as notes regarding each one.

Pros

Vokabel is used in the following way: you add a set of words in two languages (your native language and the language you want to improve your vocabulary skills on, e.g. English and French), and then start playing games which allow you to learn and remember this set of words.

This software has a very easy to use interface, which allows even kids to use it. In fact, users of smaller ages will be attracted to it even more due to its playful ways of teaching. Vokabel has 6 games in which you can test your skills: Quiz, Learning, Flashcard, Hangman, Anagram and Multiple Choice. These games use the words found in the user-created vocabulary in order to help the user remember them easier. After a game has finished, the user's/player's score will be displayed in detail.

It can also display non-Latin Characters for languages which use other kinds of characters (e.g. Japanese).

Many languages are supported, but there’s no concrete list of the supported ones. However, there are many example files that include many words between many different languages.

Cons

No help file is distributed along with the program.

Alternatives

One of the greatest and most popular language-learning software is Rosetta Stone (paid), which is quite costly though, but there are many free web-based language-learning services too, such as Memrise (free), Livemocha (freemium) and LingoMonkey (free).

Conclusion

The best way to use Vokabel is for pedagogical purposes. It is very simple to use, and by adding any amount of words in its word database, any student can use it to learn them in an enjoyable and effective way.