About
Spaced-repetition flashcards covering every HSK level from 1 through 6, both HSK 2.0 and HSK 3.0, plus AP Chinese. Web first, Android and iOS native apps in development.
HSK Lord drills Chinese vocabulary using spaced repetition. You see a card, recall the meaning, rate how well you knew it, and the scheduler puts the card back in front of you right before you would have forgotten it. The algorithm is a modified SM-2 with fixed intervals tuned to the kind of words that appear on HSK and AP Chinese exams.
The vocabulary library is the full HSK word list (~5,000 words across all six levels) in both the legacy HSK 2.0 curriculum and the current HSK 3.0 curriculum that the Chinese Ministry of Education published in 2021. AP Chinese vocabulary is available as a separate track.
Free users get a 14-day trial with unlimited access. After that, studying continues under a subscription ($8/month or $60/year). Printable PDF packs of the vocabulary are available separately in the store.
After each card you tap one of four buttons: Again, Hard, Good, Easy. The next time you see that card is determined by the button you picked on the previous review. Cards you find Easy come back rarely (days to weeks); cards you rate Again come back within a minute.
Spaced repetition as a technique has been studied for over a century and is the active-recall scheduler behind Anki, Quizlet's Learn mode, and most serious vocabulary apps. What differs between apps is the interval schedule and the UI around the flashcard. HSK Lord uses a conservative schedule biased toward more frequent early review, which gets new words into long-term memory faster at the cost of slightly more review minutes per day.
Every app in this list is worth using for something. We list them here as factually as we can so you can pick the right tool.
HSK Lord
Anki
Duolingo
HelloChinese
Skritter
Du Chinese
Monthly subscription
Unlimited web access to the full HSK and AP Chinese vocabulary library.
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Annual subscription
Equivalent to $5 per month, billed yearly. Same access as the monthly plan.
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HSK Mastery Bundle
Every HSK level 1 through 6 plus AP Chinese as downloadable PDFs.
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Users in select emerging markets see regionally adjusted prices at checkout. See /pricing for current rates.
HSK Lord is built and maintained by a single developer based in Canada. The project started in 2025 after years of frustration with the gap between general Chinese-learning apps (strong on beginner phrases, weak on exam vocabulary) and general-purpose flashcard apps (strong scheduling, no curriculum). Development notes, study guides, and product updates are published at hsklord.com/blog.
No credit card required. Full access to every HSK level and AP Chinese for two weeks. If the scheduler fits your learning style, continue on a subscription.
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