How Verba chooses and checks words
Verba's word entries are built to be accurate, readable, and memorable. Every entry must pass structural validation, and editorial review covers the judgment a test cannot supply.
What does a Verba entry include?
Each word has a part of speech, a concise definition, pronunciation guidance, two natural examples, an editorial note, a difficulty level, and useful topic categories. Japanese entries use reading and romaji in place of IPA. The current corpus contains 5,862 entries across English, Spanish, French, German, and Japanese, including 1,211 English entries.
How does a word earn its place?
A Verba word should reward attention. Some are useful in serious reading; others name a feeling or distinction that broad everyday language misses. A rare word does not qualify merely because it is rare. It needs a clear meaning, a credible use, and enough expressive value to be worth remembering.
What does automated validation check?
The corpus is tested as part of the build. IDs and headwords must be unique. Required fields cannot be empty. Definitions are length-limited and cannot begin by repeating the headword. Every entry needs exactly two examples, a substantive note, valid difficulty and category values, and plausible pronunciation data. The tests also check that each language has meaningful coverage across difficulty levels and topics.
What still requires editorial judgment?
A test can confirm that an example exists; it cannot decide whether the example sounds natural. It can measure a definition; it cannot decide whether the wording captures the distinction cleanly. Editorial review looks for accuracy, ordinary usage, natural sentences, useful context, and notes that help the word stick without turning into trivia for its own sake.
How are Language Snacks sourced?
Word-list articles are assembled from the same validated corpus used by the app. Articles that make claims about memory, learning, or iPhone behavior link to the underlying research or official Apple documentation in a sources section. Direct answers are placed near the top so readers can get the useful part without having to search through an essay.
How can you report a correction?
Language is detailed work, and corrections are welcome. Send the word, sentence, or claim in question to [email protected]. We will review it against the entry and update the corpus or article when needed.
