Create Your Deck#
After you log in, you can build your own study material: create a deck, add facts, and let Retentio generate cards for review. For how decks, facts, and cards relate, see Key concepts.
Create a deck#
Open the Decks tab and use the button in the upper-right corner to open the creation dialog and add a new deck.
Deck name#
The deck name identifies the deck and helps you tell different study topics apart in your library. Enter it in the dialog when you create the deck.
Fields (columns)#
In the dialog, define fields (column names)—for example English, Japanese, Example Sentence, or Note. Field names live on the deck only; they describe each column when you edit and study.
By default you get 2 basic fields; you can add more columns in the same dialog. Facts fill entries in the same order as those columns. See Decks for fields and daily new-card pace.
New cards per day#
When you create a deck, choose how many new cards to introduce per day (rate). That sets how much fresh material enters your review queue each day—pick a value that matches the time and energy you can study with. Higher values introduce new material faster; lower values keep a steadier pace. New cards are spaced evenly across the day.
The new deck appears in your library. Open it to add content.
Retentio will also offer curated decks you can import so you do not need to build everything from scratch.
Add facts#
Inside the deck, add facts: one complete item to remember (word pair, term + definition, and so on). Each fact stores entries in column order—not field names on the fact itself.
Example on a deck with fields English and Japanese—one row is one fact, like a spreadsheet:
| English | Japanese |
|---|---|
| hello | こんにちは |
With more columns you add more entries (example sentences, images, audio, notes). Details are in Facts.
Generate cards#
When you add a fact, the system creates cards from its entries.
By default, one fact yields one card: front = first entry, back = the rest.
Front: hello
Back: こんにちは
One fact can also produce sibling cards—for example English→Japanese and Japanese→English. See Cards.
What’s next#
When your deck has facts and cards, you are ready to start studying: recall the front, show the answer, and rate how hard the card felt so the schedule adapts.