Word Keys: Spanish & Italian words you already know
English speakers already carry thousands of Spanish and Italian words through shared Latin roots. Word Keys turns that head start into practice — verified spelling patterns, false-friend warnings, drills, and games inside Lingato.
High-yield patterns
information → información, nation → nación. Almost every familiar -tion word maps cleanly.
university → universidad / università. Abstract nouns unlock in batches.
information → informazione, nation → nazione — the same family, Italian spelling.
Words like hotel and animal often look identical; Word Keys trains the pronunciation shift too.
What you practise
- Practice drills — type English → target forms with accent-insensitive grading
- Word Wall — lay bricks as you transform pairs
- Master Challenge — mix every key, plus false-friend traps
- Studio-quality audio — hear the target forms, not just read them
Patterns are only half the job. After you unlock a form, say it — pronunciation flashcards score spoken answers so the new Spanish or Italian word is oral, not just orthographic. Memory work on the production effect and classroom-relevant production practice research both support speaking vocabulary aloud; Swain’s comprehensible output hypothesis explains why pushed production helps you notice what you cannot yet say. For linguistic background on the patterns themselves, see cognates and false friends.
FAQ
Is this just a word list?
No. Every key ships with a verified, browsable word set — the count is the list you can practise, not a bare marketing claim.
Which languages?
Word Keys currently focuses on English speakers learning Spanish and Italian, with additional curated pairs expanding over time. Start with the Spanish or Italian guides.
How is this different from generic flashcards?
Patterns teach a generative rule. Learn one transform and you can produce dozens of new words instead of memorising them one by one — then speak them so the habit sticks.