Hermann Ebbinghaus and the Decay Curve
The mathematical reality of how memories fade over time.
In 1885, German psychologist Hermann Ebbinghaus conducted the first rigorous empirical studies on human memory decay. His findings revealed that memory retention drops off exponentially: within just 60 minutes of studying, more than half of the material is gone.
By the end of the first 24 hours, only 25% to 30% of newly memorized words remain accessible in conscious recall.
How Widgets Continuously Reset the Decay Timer
Spreading retrieval cues across your natural daily routine.
Every time you see a word again before it has completely decayed, the forgetting curve resets to 100% retention—and critically, the new curve decays at a much flatter slope.
By placing words directly on your iPhone Lock Screen, your phone automatically performs distributed spaced repetitions without you ever having to open a calendar or set an alarm.