Nattly
Sound native. Remember effortlessly
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August 1, 2026
How do native speakers actually learn a language?
When we learn our mother tongue-language, we don't use dictionaries. We learn words in context, tied to an object, a situation, or a feeling. Memory relies heavily on these rich associations, but most language tools strip all of that away.
This is something that frustrated me personally when i wanted to learn english and get better at it, so I built "Nattly" to help me learn English the same way native english speakers acquire it.
Instead of isolated lists, Nattly ties vocabulary to specific scenarios and images, backed by spaced repetition. The goal is to practice recall based on context rather than just recognizing direct translations.
7 Comments
The context-based recall idea is interesting.
I'd be curious what you've noticed in your own use of Nattly — are there words you now remember reliably that you were repeatedly forgetting with the way you learned before?
Yes, 100%, the words now click much faster. Whenever I see that word or try to retrieve it, subconsciously the image or context associated with it is linked in my brain, making it feel much more natural. The analogy with maths could be helpful: translating words is like abstract math vs. seeing an example of how that formula is applied in the real world.
That's interesting, especially that the context seems to become part of the retrieval cue itself.
Have you noticed whether that advantage still holds after enough time has passed that the original image or example isn't fresh anymore?
it does holds for much longer than when exposed to it out of context/image. But at the end of the day, nothing beats the memory of actually using it in a real-world situation maybe while interacting with other people, simply because so many more of your senses are engaged.
That distinction between simulated context and actually using the language in the real world is interesting.
I'd be interested in continuing the conversation by email if you're open to it. What's the best email to reach you on?
This is a really thoughtful approach—especially the focus on context and imagery. That aligns with what cognitive science tells us about episodic memory: we remember things better when they're tied to a specific moment or feeling.
I'm curious about whether you have tested how users respond when they're asked to generate their own images or scenarios, versus using pre-set ones? There's some research suggesting that self-generated cues create stronger memory traces.
I'm an EdTech Product Architect with a focus on cognitive usability, so this kind of thing is exactly where my interest lies. If you're open to it, I'd be happy to do a quick 15-min cognitive scan of your onboarding flow, just to see if there are any friction points.
Thanks for the feedback, the app is still in its infancy, so I just don't have enough user feedback yet to answer the self-generated vs pre-set scenario question. It's a great idea though, to test for the roadmap...