Facts
TraceSpark, in plain facts
What it does, what it costs, where it runs, and who it is for.
The Short Answer
TraceSpark is an Android app for language learners at a strong B1 to C1 level. Save a word or phrase from any app on your phone, and TraceSpark writes it into your next narrated story, at your level, so you meet it again on a schedule instead of by chance. It is free to install on Google Play.
The facts
- What it does
- You save a word, phrase, grammar pattern or cultural note from any app on your phone, through the share menu, the text-selection menu, or a screenshot with the word circled, underlined or highlighted. TraceSpark adds a translation, a definition in the language you are learning and a note on register, then writes what you saved into a continuing series of narrated stories. Phrases come back in stories the way words do; grammar patterns are written into an episode several times and cultural notes only where the plot has room, and those two are not graded.
- Stories
- Ten suggested genres (drama, mystery, sci-fi, adventure, romance, thriller, comedy, historical, fantasy and slice of life), or write your own. A series runs up to 10 episodes, planned before the first one is written, and each episode continues from the last. Start as many series as you like. A podcast format is also available.
- Listening and reading
- Play an episode as audio, play it with the full script on screen, or read a story page by page. Episodes play in the background and from the lock screen at 0.8x to 1.3x speed, and need no signal once they have been generated.
- Review
- You grade each saved word and phrase inside the story: Again, Hard, Good or Easy. Grammar patterns and cultural notes come back in stories but are not graded. Scheduling of words and phrases runs on FSRS-6, the open-source scheduler Anki ships, with a 90% retention target and its published default settings.
- Levels
- Stories can be written at any CEFR level from A1 to C2. The level sets the episode length (about 5 minutes at A1 and A2, 10 at B1 and B2, 15 at C1 and C2), sentence length, grammar and register.
- Languages
- 17 language options across 14 languages: Spanish (Spain and Latin America), French (France and Canada), Portuguese (Brazil and Portugal), Italian, German, English, Dutch, Polish, Russian, Turkish, Hindi, Bengali, Indonesian and Korean.
- Platform
- Android only, from Google Play. There is no iPhone, iPad or web version.
- Availability
- On Google Play worldwide since September 2026, and free to install.
- Price
- US$12.50/mo, later on. Free until then. Price locked 12 months from your first payment.
Who it is for, and who it is not for
Built for
- Adults at a strong B1 to C1 level who can already follow a story in the language.
- People who read, watch or listen to things in the language on their own, and keep losing the words they look up.
- Learners who would rather meet a word again in a story than on a flashcard.
Not built for
- Beginners. Below a strong B1 the stories will be frustrating. A course or a comprehensible-input channel is the better start, and TraceSpark will still be here when you are ready.
- Anyone whose main need is speaking practice. TraceSpark has no conversation practice. Run it alongside a tutor or a speaking app.
How it differs from what you may already use
Each of these does something TraceSpark does not, and each comparison page lists what the other tool does well.
Anki
Anki schedules cards you make yourself. TraceSpark uses the same scheduler, FSRS-6, and skips the card-making: a word you save goes into your next story. The two do not share decks, and if you already keep an Anki deck, nothing here asks you to give it up.
LingQ
LingQ is built for reading material you import, and it tracks the words you do not know inside it. TraceSpark writes new stories around the words you have already saved.
Langua
Langua is built for speaking: conversation practice, roleplays and corrections. TraceSpark does no speaking practice. It takes words from any app on your phone and brings them back in a continuing series, so the two cover different halves.
Dreaming Spanish
Dreaming Spanish is comprehensible-input video, the strongest start from zero to intermediate by listening. It does not bring back the specific words you missed. TraceSpark does that, next to the hours you log there.
Some story apps also bring back the words you saved inside their own reader. The difference here is where the words can come from: any app on your phone, including a screenshot.
Questions people ask
What is TraceSpark?
An Android app for language learners at a strong B1 to C1 level. You save words and phrases from any app on your phone, and TraceSpark writes them into narrated stories at your level, so you meet them again on a schedule instead of by chance.
How much does TraceSpark cost?
It is free to install on Google Play. US$12.50/mo, later on. Free until then. Price locked 12 months from your first payment.
Is TraceSpark on iPhone?
No. TraceSpark is Android only, on Google Play. There is no iPhone, iPad or web version.
Which languages does TraceSpark support?
17 language options across 14 languages: Spanish (Spain and Latin America), French (France and Canada), Portuguese (Brazil and Portugal), Italian, German, English, Dutch, Polish, Russian, Turkish, Hindi, Bengali, Indonesian and Korean.
What level do I need to use TraceSpark?
A strong B1 or above, up to C1. TraceSpark can write at any level from A1 to C2, but it is built for learners who can already follow a story. If you are still building the basics, start with a course and come back later.
Does TraceSpark replace Anki?
For language learning, it replaces the card-making. TraceSpark uses the same scheduler, FSRS-6, and writes the words you save into stories instead of onto cards. It does not replace Anki as a general flashcard tool, and it does not import or export Anki decks. If you already keep an Anki deck, nothing here asks you to give it up.
Does TraceSpark help with speaking?
No. It has no conversation or pronunciation practice. It is for the words you read and hear, and for bringing them back. Use it alongside a tutor or a speaking app.
Can I listen offline?
Yes. Once an episode has been generated, its audio is stored on your phone and plays with no signal. Generating a new episode needs a connection.
Try it with your own words
Save a word from whatever you are reading today, and hear it again in tonight's story.