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Understand how Anki flashcards work, then make your own in minutes

DeckOwl reads your PDFs, slides, notes or photos of pages and builds flashcards that follow the same spaced repetition schedule Anki uses.

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What happens behind an Anki-style review

Anki is a free spaced repetition app, and how Anki flashcards work comes down to one idea: you see each card just before you would forget it. DeckOwl applies the same scheduling to flashcards it builds from your own PDFs, slides, notes or photos of pages, so your review time goes to what you are starting to lose.

A card's next review date depends on how well you recalled it last time.
Missed cards come back within the same session or the next day.
Short daily sessions work better than long cram sessions.
Decks can be grouped by course or chapter so each topic keeps its own schedule.

Example flashcards on how spaced repetition works

What does spaced repetition do?It schedules each card to reappear just before you would forget it, so review time goes to the cards you are starting to lose.

What is the forgetting curve?Hermann Ebbinghaus's finding that memory fades quickly after learning and more slowly with each successful review.

What does pressing Again do in Anki's review screen?It marks the card as missed, shows it again soon, and shortens its next interval.

What is an Anki deck?A collection of cards grouped by topic. Each deck keeps its own review schedule, and decks can contain subdecks.

What is a note type in Anki?A template that defines the fields and card layouts, such as Basic with a front and back, or Cloze for filling in blanks.

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Cards from your own material

Upload a PDF, DOCX, PPTX, plain text file or image. The flashcards come from your lecture notes and readings, not a generic deck.

Spaced repetition schedule

Each card is shown again at increasing intervals as you recall it, and sooner when you miss it, so review time goes where it is needed.

Export to Anki on Plus

Plus includes Anki export along with PDF, DOCX and CSV export, so you can keep studying in Anki if you prefer it.

How it works

Upload your material

Add a PDF, slides, a document, notes or a photo of a page. Text recognition reads images.

Review the generated cards

Check the flashcards for accuracy, edit anything unclear, and keep the ones you want in your deck.

Study on the schedule

Review each day as prompted. Cards you know move further out, and cards you miss return sooner.

Each review is a rating. Cards you recall well move further into the future, and cards you miss come back sooner. Over several weeks this shifts effort away from material you already know and toward the facts that are still fragile.

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Frequently asked questions

How does spaced repetition decide when to show a card?

Each card has an interval that grows when you recall it and shrinks when you miss it. The next review is set for the point where the card is likely to be forgotten.

How many new flashcards should I add per day?

Most students do better with a small daily batch they can review consistently than a large pile they fall behind on. Start with 10 to 20 new cards and adjust based on how long your reviews take.

Can I export my DeckOwl flashcards to Anki?

Yes, Anki export is included on the Plus plan, which also covers PDF, DOCX and CSV export. The free plan lets you study in the browser with 3 generations per month.

Do I need a credit card to try DeckOwl?

No. You can start on the free plan without a credit card, and students get 40% off with a school email.

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Keep exploring the topic

Review the main ideas visually or practice recalling them.