Comparison

2000 Words vs TurnCards

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

2000 Words

Features
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2000 Words teaches the vocabulary that actually carries a conversation — the 2000 most frequent words in German, Spanish, Italian, French, Bulgarian and Russian, all in one app. Every language is paired with English. So it is for English speakers learning one of the six — and for speakers of those six learning English, with the direction switched round. The first 100 words of every language are free. No time limit, no account, no advertising. Unlock a language for its full 2000 words when you want it, or take all six at once. Why 2000 words? That range covers the large majority of everyday speech. Learn it and you follow real conversations, messages and films far sooner than by grinding through endless lists. Across six languages that is more than 12,000 words. In every language: • Levels that build on each other: Top 100, Top 500, Top 1000, Top 2000 and rare words • Native pronunciation on every word — tap to hear it • Example sentences that show the word in use • Plurals, verb forms and other details where they matter • German and Spanish add an article drill: der/die/das, el/la/los/las • Flashcards that keep track of what you already know • Autolearn: hands-free playback for commutes and walks • An Apple Watch app for practice away from your phone New in 2000 Words: Read. • Classic books in the language you are learning, with English a tap away — paragraph by paragraph • Add your own EPUB or text files, or photograph the pages of a printed book and read it on screen • Tap a word to see what it means and save it; saved words come back for review, spaced out as you learn them • Read a paragraph aloud and see which words you got right • Chapter checks, and the whole chapter read aloud to you if you like Reading is free for 20 minutes every day. A one-time unlock removes the limit, and it is included if you bought all six languages. Translating your own books and single words happens on your device and needs iOS 18. Switch target language whenever you like — progress in each is kept separately, so picking Spanish back up after a month in German loses nothing. The app itself speaks your language too — English, German, Spanish, French, Italian, Bulgarian or Russian — and that is a separate choice from the language you are learning. Everything runs offline. There is no account to create, and your progress stays on your device and in your own iCloud. If you bought 2000 Words before it became free, all six languages stay unlocked for you. There is nothing to restore and nothing to do.

About

TurnCards

This app uses voice recognition to help you learn languages by speaking answers aloud. It offers various study modes, tracks your progress, and supports custom deck imports. Focuses on building speaking confidence through interactive review.

Highlights
  • Voice-first flashcards
  • On-device speech recognition
  • Native pronunciation audio
  • CEFR level filtering
  • Smart bookmarks
  • AI-enhanced decks
  • Import custom decks
Features
Read full description

TurnCards — Voice-First Flashcards for Real Language Learners Flashcards that listen back: Most flashcard apps make you read, type, or tap. TurnCards makes you speak — the way language actually works. Hear your prompt, say the answer out loud, and on-device speech recognition grades it instantly. It's vocabulary review that feels closer to a real conversation, built to grow speaking confidence, not just recall. WHY TURNCARDS • English, Spanish, Italian, Japanese, German, French or any other. Whatever your primary and learning language TurnCards supports it. • Voice grading — Speak your answer out loud. On-device speech recognition evaluates it in real time, no typing and no tapping. • Native pronunciation — Every card is spoken in the correct accent with high-quality text-to-speech, so you hear it before you say it. • CEFR levels — Filter cards by A1–C1 and study exactly the vocabulary that matches where you are right now. • Smart bookmarks — Save tricky cards and build focused sessions from just your saved words. • AI enhancement — Tap ••• on any deck and choose Enhance with AI to generate example sentences and topic tags for every card, on device. • Import any deck — Drop in a JSON, CSV, TSV, or Anki .apkg file and it converts automatically, carrying over levels and example sentences. SEVEN WAYS TO STUDY • Voice / Type — Speak or type your answer. Spaced repetition tracks accuracy and schedules the next review. • Multiple Choice — Pick from four options. Great for recognition practice while you warm up. • Match — Drag pairs together. Builds pattern recognition fast. • Mixed — Alternates recall and recognition card by card to keep your brain engaged. • Fill in the blank - Say the word that fits the missing spot in the sentence to practice context. • Pronunciation - Nail the accent with the stress on the right syllable. • Listen — Audio-only. Perfect for commutes or eyes-free practice. • Cram — Loop your deck until you quit, with no impact on your spaced-repetition schedule — ideal for last-minute exam prep. SMART SPACED REPETITION TurnCards uses a refined SM-2 algorithm with three difficulty levels — Hard, Good, Easy — so the cards you struggle with come back sooner and the ones you've mastered fade quietly into review. Mark a card Known once you've nailed it and it steps aside. Streaks, accuracy percentage, and total cards known all sit front and center so you can see real progress. HOME SCREEN WIDGETS • Stats — streak, accuracy, and cards known at a glance. • Favorite — long-press to pick one saved study configuration; tap to launch. • Favorites (3) — three configurable slots for one-tap access to your go-to sessions. PRIVACY YOU CAN ACTUALLY VERIFY No accounts. No analytics. No cloud sync controlled by us. Speech recognition runs on-device using Apple's Speech framework — your voice is never recorded or transmitted. Your decks, cards, bookmarks, and progress stay on your phone. Uninstall the app and everything goes with it. MANY LANGUAGES, YOUR WAY Italian, Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, Japanese, Korean, Chinese, Russian, and more — TurnCards works with any pair of languages Apple supports. Start with the built-in starter deck, build your own card by card, or paste a word list and let on-device Apple Translation generate a deck for you. WHO IT'S FOR Language learners building real fluency. Students prepping for exams. Anyone tired of flashcard apps that forget you're trying to speak the language, not just read it. FREE, AD-SUPPORTED TurnCards is genuinely free. A small banner that never interrupts your study keeps the lights on. No subscription, no nags, no tracking by us. Speak. Listen. Learn. Built with love by TurnCards LLC

Screenshots

2000 Words4 screens
TurnCards4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: 2000 Words at none against TurnCards's shown. On price, update cadence, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

2000 Words ships an update every 4 days, TurnCards every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on September 30, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 8 level
2000 Words versus TurnCards: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
Parameter2000 WordsTurnCards
PriceFreeFree
Rating—4.8 (4 ratings) — better
Number of ratings—4 — better
Update frequencyEvery 4 daysEvery 3 days — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNoNo
Monetization—Ad-supported
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.0 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size9 MB15 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAnton PopovTurnCards LLC

In-app purchases

None

2000 Words

No in-app purchases

None

TurnCards

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is 2000 Words free?
2000 Words is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is TurnCards free?
TurnCards is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do 2000 Words or TurnCards have ads?
TurnCards shows ads; 2000 Words does not.
Which is updated more often, 2000 Words or TurnCards?
2000 Words ships an update every 4 days, and TurnCards every 3 days. Most recently, 2000 Words was updated on September 30, 2026 and TurnCards on October 7, 2026.

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