Hand-curated topic sets. Each one is around 20 cards — small enough to finish in a single sprint. Add any set to your library and it joins tomorrow's review queue.
Cefra's German vocabulary catalogue is sourced from the official Goethe-Institut Wortlisten. A1–A2 sets are ready to use, B1–B2 coverage is expanding, and every set includes native-speaker audio, IPA transcription, and translations in five languages.
Why Cefra
Content you won't find in other language apps
Official word lists
German — Goethe-Wortliste. English — Cambridge wordlists. Learn the exam vocabulary Cefra already covers, with clear status by level.
5 translation languages
Every word translated to DE, EN, FR, PL, RU with alternative translations and example sentences.
Native audio + IPA
Professional pronunciation and phonetic transcription for every single word in the database.
Exam preparation
Vocabulary sourced from official exam word lists
Goethe-Zertifikat (Deutsch)
Words selected from official Goethe-Institut Wortlisten and Hueber textbooks. A1 coverage: 98.7%; A2 is ready, and B1–B2 coverage is expanding.
Cefra is independent and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Goethe-Institut, Cambridge University Press & Assessment, or any examination body.
What is Cefra?
Cefra is a free vocabulary and grammar learning app for German and English, organised around the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). Each vocabulary set holds about 20 cards — small enough to finish in one sitting — and ships with native-speaker audio, IPA transcription, and translations into English, German, French, Polish and Russian. Sets are tagged by CEFR level and grouped by topic, following the published vocabulary scopes of the Goethe-Zertifikat and Cambridge English Qualifications; A1 and A2 are ready to use and B1–B2 coverage is expanding. German grammar lessons pair short explanations with interactive exercises and immediate feedback. Everything is free to use without an account — signing up only adds a personal dictionary and progress sync across devices. Cefra is independent and not affiliated with any exam board.
What are CEFR levels?
The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages defines six levels of communicative ability: A1 and A2 cover everyday survival vocabulary and simple exchanges, B1 and B2 cover independent use in work and study contexts, and C1 and C2 cover proficient and near-native command. Every Cefra set is tagged with its CEFR level so learners can match content to their current ability and plan progression in measurable steps. The framework is published by the Council of Europe and is the basis for most European language certifications, which means CEFR-tagged vocabulary transfers cleanly between exam boards and self-study tracks.
How does spaced repetition work?
Spaced repetition schedules each word for review just before you would otherwise forget it, so practice time concentrates on the words that need reinforcement and skips over the ones that are already secure. Cefra mixes three practice modes for every card — recognition (term to translation), production (translation to term), and audio recall (listen and type or speak) — because words committed to memory through multiple retrieval paths recall faster and resist interference from similar vocabulary. New sets join the review queue automatically and the queue stays bounded to a sustainable daily load.