What does it really mean to know a word?
Knowing a word takes more than seeing its translation once: it has three parts, form, meaning and use. Nation (2001) and Schmitt (2000) define word knowledge in these terms and note that understanding usually comes long before being able to use a word. A short self-check (recognising it by ear, spelling, meaning, making a sentence, collocation) shows the weakest part of each word, so you can practise that instead of rereading the translation.
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