About this tool
The Flashcard Maker turns a list into a set of cards you can flip on screen or print and cut out. Type one card per line, or paste a vocabulary list, a glossary or two columns from a spreadsheet. The tool works out where each front ends and each back begins, counts the cards, and shows every one as a card you can click to flip.
When the list looks right, print it. The sheets are double-sided: the fronts come first, then the backs, laid out so each back sits behind its own front. Dashed cut lines show where to cut, and you choose 6, 8 or 10 cards per page. It is free, there is no signup, and the cards never leave your browser.
How it works
Paste or type your list in the box. Each line is one card, with the front first and the back second. The separator can be a tab, a comma, " - " or " = ". If your list uses tabs, which is what you get when you copy two columns from a spreadsheet, the tool splits on the tab. Otherwise it counts which of the other separators appears on the most lines and uses that one for the whole list. Only the first separator on a line counts, so a back like "Paris, France" stays in one piece.
Lines with no separator are skipped, and the tool tells you how many, so a stray title in a pasted list does not become a card with nothing on the back. You can also use the Front and Back fields to add a card without worrying about separators at all.
The printable sheet has two columns and 3, 4 or 5 rows, depending on the cards per page you pick. Long text shrinks to fit its card.
The Study here button opens a small study deck on the page itself. Click the card or press Flip to see the other side, Next to move on, and Shuffle to mix the order.
Printing double-sided cards
Choose your printer's two-sided option and set it to flip on the long edge. The fronts print on the first side. On the reverse, the backs print in mirrored order: in each row the two backs swap places, so the back of the left card ends up behind the left front. This is the part that is tedious to get right in a word processor.
Before printing a full set, try one page and hold it up to a window. If the backs sit behind the fronts, you are set. If they are upside down, switch the flip edge to short. If your printer cannot print on both sides, print the front pages, put them back in the tray the way your printer expects, and print the back pages.
Card stock gives the sturdiest cards, but ordinary paper works too. Cut along the dashed lines.
- Use 6 per page for young readers or longer phrases.
- Use 8 per page for most vocabulary and definition lists.
- Use 10 per page for short terms, formulas and dates you want to carry around.
Making cards that help you learn
Keep each card to one fact. A card that asks for three things is hard to mark right or wrong, and you will start to guess. Put a prompt on the front, a short answer on the back, and say it out loud before you flip.
Mix the order every time you go through the deck, or the position of a card becomes a clue. Put the cards you missed in a separate pile and go through those again sooner. Seeing hard cards more often and easy cards less often is what spaced repetition automates.
Paper cards are good for a classroom table or a desk. For a long list you want to carry, a phone app saves the cutting. Press Copy for Pensara and the tool copies the cards as tab-separated lines, which is the same layout a spreadsheet gives you. Paste them into Pensara, AnchorKite's offline flashcards app, which schedules each card with spaced repetition. Pensara is free, needs no account and has optional $0.99 packs.
Privacy
The Flashcard Maker runs entirely in your browser. Your cards stay in the text box on this page. Nothing is uploaded, saved in your browser or logged, so closing the tab clears them. Copy the text into a document first if you want to keep the list for later.
Frequently asked questions
How do I print flashcards double-sided so the backs line up?
Print the whole sheet with two-sided printing set to flip on the long edge, which most printers call the default for portrait pages. The fronts print first, then the backs. Each row of backs is mirrored, so the back of the left card lands behind the front of the left card once the page is turned over. If your printer only prints one side, print the front pages, put them back in the tray and print the back pages.
How do I enter the cards?
Type one card per line in the box, or paste a list. Put the front first and the back second, separated by a tab, a comma, " - " or " = ". The tool detects the separator from your list. You can also use the add-a-card fields, which append a line for you.
What happens to a line with no separator?
It is skipped and the tool tells you how many lines were skipped, so a stray heading in a pasted list does not become a card. Only the first separator on a line counts, so a back such as "Paris, France" stays whole when the separator is a tab or " = ".
How many cards fit on a page?
You pick 6, 8 or 10 per page. Each page is two columns, so that is 3, 4 or 5 rows. Six per page gives the largest text and is best for young readers or short phrases. Ten per page is good for vocabulary lists you plan to carry in a pocket.
Are my cards saved or uploaded?
No. The cards live in the text box on this page and nowhere else. Nothing is uploaded, stored on a server or saved in your browser, so closing the tab clears them. Copy the text somewhere safe if you want to keep the list.
How do I move my cards into Pensara?
Press Copy for Pensara. It copies the cards as one line each, with the front and back separated by a tab, which is the layout a spreadsheet gives you. In Pensara, paste the list into a new pack. Pensara then schedules each card with spaced repetition and works offline.
Why does the printout say Made with AnchorKite?
A small credit line prints at the bottom of the last page, outside the cards. It is on by default and you can turn it off with the checkbox before you print.