Getting Started
Welcome to Kaboosh
Kaboosh is a flashcard learning platform designed to help you master any subject through interactive practice activities and scientifically-proven spaced repetition. Whether you're learning a new language, studying for exams, or teaching a classroom of students, Kaboosh adapts to your needs.
Create Decks
Build flashcard decks with text, images, and audio
Practice Activities
Choose from flashcards, quizzes, matching, and more
Smart Tracking
Spaced repetition scheduling for long-term retention
Earn Achievements
Stay motivated with badges, streaks, and goals
Creating Your Account
Sign up for Kaboosh using your email address or continue with Google. During onboarding, you'll select your role:
- Individual – Self-directed learners studying for themselves
- Teacher – Educators managing students and classes
- Parent – Parents overseeing their children's learning
- Student – Learners connected to a teacher or parent
Dashboard Overview
Your dashboard is your home base, showing:
- Cards due for review today
- Your current study streak
- Daily goal progress
- Recent achievements
- Quick access to your decks and the Learning Zone
The dashboard adapts to your role — teachers see class management tools, while students see their assignments and points.
Creating Your First Deck
To get started learning:
- Click "My Decks" in the sidebar
- Click the "+ New Deck" button
- Give your deck a name and optionally a description
- Add cards with a front (question/term) and back (answer/definition)
- Head to the Learning Zone to start practicing!
Decks & Flashcards
Creating Decks
Decks are collections of flashcards organized around a topic. When creating a deck, you can:
- Set a name and description
- Choose a subject category
- Select an age group for appropriate content
- Set a front/back languages for language learning decks
- Enable reverse mode to practice both directions
Adding Cards
Each flashcard has a front and back side. You can enhance cards with:
- Images – Search Openverse, Pexels, or upload your own
- GIFs – Add animated images from Klipy
- Audio – Text-to-speech is automatically available (audio may be generated as needed)
- Rich formatting – Basic text styling supported
Card text limits: front and back text are limited to 500 characters each.
Image-first cards: if a card has media (image/GIF) and only one side has text, Kaboosh treats it as a visual prompt card and may force the study direction for that card.
Translations are language-aware: when a deck uses multiple languages (or you set per-card languages), you can translate cards between the selected languages.
Multi-blank cloze cards: use at least three underscores for each gap. Put one answer per gap on the opposite side in prompt order, separated by commas or line breaks. The number of answers must exactly match the number of gaps; use line breaks when an answer contains a comma.
Importing Cards
Bring your existing flashcards into Kaboosh:
- CSV/Excel – Map columns to front, back, and optional fields like images
- Anki (.apkg) – Import Anki decks with optional SRS history retention
Navigate to Import Flashcards from the sidebar to get started.
Organizing Decks
Keep your decks organized with:
- Folders – Group related decks together
- Tags – Add keywords for easy filtering
- Search – Find decks by name, description, or tags
- Sorting – Order by name, date created, or last studied
Deck Settings
Each deck has configurable settings:
- Reverse Mode – Enable to practice back-to-front in addition to front-to-back
- Language Settings – Set languages for proper text-to-speech pronunciation
- Visibility – Make decks public to share with the community
Progress tracks: new four-skill language decks use separate Reading & writing and Listening & speaking schedules by default. Choose Use one progress track before adding cards if the deck should share a single schedule.
Front ↔ Back direction: there is a global direction toggle in the top bar (Front → Back / Back → Front). This affects Smart Tracking and some Learning Zone activities.
Reverse Mode and Smart Tracking: if a deck is not reverse-enabled, Smart Tracking may not be available in the Back → Front direction for that deck.
Cloze detection: in Deck Edit, deck owners can keep automatic detection, force the front or back to be treated as cloze, or select Never treat as cloze. This changes how activities interpret the cards; it does not rewrite their text.
Locking after you start studying: after you've started reviewing a deck, Kaboosh may lock the deck to help protect your progress. You can unlock it to edit, but changing cards can affect your learning history.
Public Decks
Discover and use decks shared by the community:
- Browse the Public Decks library by subject
- Copy public decks to your library to customize them
- Share your own decks to help other learners
Publishing rules: to make a deck public, it must have at least 5 cards.
Public deck locking: if a public deck is being used by other learners, some structural edits (like changing subject or languages) may require you to unlock the deck first.
Copying public decks: copying public decks into your own library may require a paid plan.
Learning Zone
Overview
The Learning Zone is where you practice your flashcards through different practice activities. Each activity targets different learning skills:
- P (Passive) – Recognition-based learning (e.g., multiple choice)
- C (Cued) – Recall with hints (e.g., jumbled letters)
- A (Active) – Full recall without assistance (e.g., typing answers)
For language decks, games also target specific modalities:
- R (Reading) – Visual text recognition
- L (Listening) – Audio comprehension
- W (Writing) – Typing/spelling production
- S (Speaking) – Spoken production
Four-skill language decks use two separate Smart Tracking schedules: Reading & writing and Listening & speaking. Each accepted review records one modality. Writing can support Reading, and Speaking can support Listening, without logging a second result. Decks configured to use one progress track share a single schedule.
Some activities only show decks that fit their input type.
- Switch the direction if the activity expects the other side of the card.
- Make sure the answer side has short, typable text.
Flashcard Review
The classic flip-card experience. See the front, recall the answer, then flip to check. Rate your confidence to optimize future scheduling.
Memory Match
Match pairs of cards by flipping them two at a time. Find the front-back pairs to clear the board.
Matching Game
Connect terms with their definitions from two shuffled lists. Drag or click to make matches.
Multiple Choice Quiz
Answer multiple choice questions with 4 or 6 options. Provide your own custom options per card (or use ones shared by the deck owner).
Speak It
Practice pronunciation with speech recognition. Hear a prompt, speak your answer, and get immediate feedback.
Type It
See the prompt and type the answer. Tests active recall with flexible grading that handles typos gracefully.
Cards with several blanks: Type It turns two or more recognized gap markers into numbered underlines, then shows one answer field with the matching number for each gap.
Each gap stays on its own line. If an image or several gaps make the card taller than the screen, scroll inside the activity to reach the remaining fields and Submit.
Normal hints such as [animal] or [past tense] stay visible. Reserved markers such as [blank], [gap], and supported translated equivalents are treated as gaps instead.
If the gap and answer counts do not match safely, Type It uses one ordinary answer field rather than guessing.
Listen and Spell
Practice spelling by typing what you hear. Great for reinforcing listening and accurate written recall.
Character Writing
Stroke-order practice for Chinese, Japanese, and Korean characters with guided writing checks.
Concept Test
Explain the idea in your own words. Responses are graded by meaning, not exact wording.
Word Search
Find hidden words in a letter grid, then match them to their definitions. Words can be horizontal, vertical, or diagonal.
Anagram
Unscramble jumbled letters to form the correct word. Drag letters into position or tap to swap.
Crossword
Fill in a crossword puzzle using your flashcard terms. Clues come from card definitions.
Fill in the Blank
Complete sentences with the missing word or phrase. Example sentences are generated automatically.
Game Settings
Most games share common settings:
- Shuffle – Randomize card order
- Image display – Show/hide and position images
- Text-to-speech – Enable audio and choose voices
- Timer – Show/hide the session timer
- Fullscreen – Distraction-free mode
Smart Tracking (SRS)
What is Smart Tracking?
Smart Tracking uses spaced repetition - a scientifically-proven learning technique that schedules reviews at optimal intervals. Cards you know well are shown less frequently, while challenging cards appear more often.
How It Works
Only when a review is accepted as effective does the scheduler update its retention estimate and next review time:
- Complete a tracked review. Flashcards ask for Again, Hard, Good, or Easy; supported activities record their result automatically.
- The algorithm predicts your retention probability over time
- The next review is chosen to target a recall probability
- A successful review accepted as effective usually extends the interval; early or other non-effective attempts may not update it
Study Now (Auto) chooses practice for the due track and moves from recognition through supported recall toward production when the deck supports it. After a miss, Auto may insert a shorter corrective activity before the card returns.
Current Retention Estimates
Each bar is a deck-wide estimate of current retrievability - the chance you could recall the cards now - for the selected study direction. It is not a completion score or permanent mastery rating.
- Unreviewed cards count as 0% in the deck-wide average
- Only reviews accepted as effective by the scheduler refresh the estimate; previews and other non-effective attempts do not
- Estimated retention decays over time as more time passes since each effective review
- Even 100% means an estimate of recall right now, not that the deck is permanently completed
Four-skill language decks display separate Reading, Listening, Writing, and Speaking retention estimates while keeping two schedules: Reading & writing and Listening & speaking. Writing can support Reading, and Speaking can support Listening. Writing or Speaking may be capped at 60% while a card is at the Cued skill level.
Retention displays show the same current estimate as bars, a circle, a mosaic, or a gem. You can choose your preferred style in Settings -> Learning.
For non-language decks, a single current-retention estimate is shown.
Direction matters: progress bars and scheduling use the selected Front -> Back or Back -> Front direction. Reviewing one direction does not refresh the other.
Review Scheduling
Cards progress through learning phases:
- Intraday steps - 10 min -> 1 hour -> 12 hours, then graduation
- Graduated - Intervals grow based on your performance
- Lapse handling - Forgotten cards return to shorter intervals
For four-skill language decks, each study direction has separate Reading & writing and Listening & speaking due dates. Reviewing one track does not normally reschedule the other. One-track decks have one shared due date per direction.
For four-skill language decks, after you have shown that you can recall the answer aloud, a clean first-try Type It review of an already-learned card may postpone an already-due Listening & speaking review. It does not count as listening or speaking or replace a later direct result.
Fine-Tuning SRS
Paid subscribers can customize the algorithm in Settings -> Learning:
- Difficulty Factor - Make intervals shorter (harder) or longer (easier)
- Intraday Steps - Customize the learning phase intervals
- Disable Auto-Difficulty - Prevent automatic difficulty adjustments
Progress & Achievements
Daily Goals
Set a daily review target to build consistent study habits. Choose from preset options (20, 30, 50, 80, 100, 150, or 200 reviews per day) in Settings -> Learning.
Study Streaks
Maintain a streak by studying every day. Longer streaks earn bonus XP and unlock achievements!
Achievements & Badges
Earn badges for reaching milestones:
- Streak achievements - 7, 14, 30, 60, 100+ day streaks
- XP milestones - 1,000, 5,000, 10,000+ XP earned
- Mastery achievements - 50, 100, 500+ cards mastered
- Session milestones - 10, 50, 100+ study sessions
View all your achievements on the Achievements page.
Leaderboards
Compete with other learners on game-specific leaderboards. Rankings are based on score, accuracy, and speed.
Statistics
Track your learning progress with detailed stats including cards reviewed, accuracy rates, time spent studying, and XP earned.
Audio Features
Text-to-Speech
Hear your flashcards read aloud with high-quality text-to-speech:
- Uses your deck/card language settings for pronunciation
- Choose from multiple voices per language
- Adjust playback speed
- Enable auto-play when cards appear
Audio Settings
Customize audio globally or per-game: TTS provider, voice selection, sound effects, and background music.
Teacher Features
Teacher Dashboard
Teachers have a dedicated dashboard for managing students, classes, and assignments with class-wide progress analytics.
Managing Students
Create and manage student accounts: add individually or via CSV import, generate credentials, and track individual progress. Students log in with assigned credentials - no email required.
Creating Classes
Organize students into classes for easier management. Create multiple classes, assign students, and track progress by class.
Assignments
Teachers can assign decks to students (or entire classes) with optional due dates and time limits.
You can also create shareable assignment links for supported activities (for example Flashcards, Type It, Speak It, Quiz, and more) and view submission reports.
Progress Tracking
Monitor student learning: see the current retention estimate per card, time spent studying, assignment completion rates, and identify struggling students early.
Teaching Mode
Run guided practice sessions with students. Lead single-student or class sessions where all progress is tracked under student accounts.
Student Features
Student Login
Students log in using credentials provided by their teacher via the dedicated student login page. No email required.
Student Dashboard
A kid-friendly dashboard shows points earned, current streak, cards due, and assigned missions.
Completing Assignments
View assigned decks in "My Missions", practice using any available game, and track progress toward completion.
Earning Points
Students earn points for studying. Leaderboards encourage friendly competition, and teachers can view point settings.
Settings
Profile Settings
Update your display name, avatar, and public profile details in Settings -> Profile. Email/password changes are in Settings -> Account, and reminder timezone is in Settings -> Notifications.
Learning Settings
Configure Smart Tracking on/off, daily goal targets, current-retention display style (bars, circle, mosaic, or gem), and SRS fine-tuning (paid) in Settings -> Learning.
Connected AI (MCP)
Model Context Protocol (MCP) is a standard that lets compatible AI apps use specific Kaboosh tools. Connected AI is available to Individual and Teacher accounts.
Open Settings -> Connected AI, copy the server address below, and add it in your AI app. When Kaboosh opens the connection request, check the app details and return address, choose the permissions you want to grant, then approve or deny it. You do not enter a Kaboosh password or API key in the AI app.
MCP server address: https://mcp.kaboosh.app/mcp
Depending on your role, plan, and approved permissions, an AI app can read decks you own, create private deck drafts, attach a PNG image that Kaboosh validates and moderates, read your aggregate learning stats, or help teachers create private worksheet drafts and view minimized progress for currently authorized students.
Teacher progress tools require Open Plus. The reporting controls in Connected AI settings decide which authorized classes and students appear in ordinary AI summaries. Mark on-break, paused, former, test, or excluded relationships as needed. These labels do not grant or remove teaching access. Ordinary summaries leave out non-current relationships; a connected app can still request an authorized non-current record explicitly, and it is instructed to do so only when you ask.
Connected AI requires an internet connection. You can review or revoke an app’s access at any time.
Display Settings
Change theme from the theme picker in the sidebar (desktop) or mobile menu. Available themes are light, dark, and forest.
Subscription
Plans & Pricing
Plan names, limits, and rates can change. Use the Pricing page for the current comparison.
Visit the Pricing page for current rates.
Free vs Paid Features
Free access covers core study workflows with usage limits.
Paid plans expand usage and unlock more advanced study, classroom, and family tools.
Managing Your Subscription
View and manage your subscription on the Subscription page. You can upgrade, downgrade, pause, or cancel at any time.
FAQ
Common Questions
Can I use Kaboosh offline?
Some parts of the app can keep working offline (for example, reviewing cards you have already loaded). Your progress syncs when you reconnect.
How do I reset my password?
Click "Forgot Password" on the login page to receive a reset email.
Can I share decks with other users?
Yes. Make a deck public to share it with the community.
Troubleshooting
Audio not playing?
Check that TTS is enabled in game settings and that your device volume is up.
Speech recognition not working?
Ensure you have granted microphone permissions in your browser settings.
Cards not syncing?
Check your internet connection and try refreshing the page.
Contact Support
Need more help? Reach out to us:
- Submit feedback via the Feedback page
- Email us at