notecards

Meanings

1. 1nounplural

   Small cards used for writing short notes, especially to help you remember or present information.

   Grammar: Almost always plural; use a singular form (a notecard) when talking about one card.

   Patterns

   • write something on notecards
   • use notecards for something
   • a stack of notecards

   She wrote the main points of her speech on notecards.

   I keep a box of notecards on my desk for quick reminders.

   He shuffled through his notecards before the interview.

2. 2nounplural

   Cards used in schools or talks, held in the hand, with key words to remind a speaker what to say.

   Grammar: Often used with a possessive: her notecards, the speaker's notecards.

   Patterns

   • glance at your notecards
   • speak from notecards
   • hold notecards

   The lecturer glanced at her notecards and continued.

   Try not to read straight from your notecards.

   He dropped his notecards and lost his place.

Word forms

Common combinations

a stack of notecards

She brought a stack of notecards to the meeting.

write on notecards

Write each new word on a notecard and review it daily.

index notecards

We used index notecards to organize the research.

flip through notecards

He flipped through his notecards before going on stage.

notecards for a presentation

I made notecards for my presentation last night.

Synonyms and how they differ

index cards

Very close in meaning; index cards usually means the blank cards sold for filing, while notecards stresses the notes written on them.

cue cards

Use cue cards for large cards a presenter reads from on camera or on stage; notecards are smaller and held in the hand.

flashcards

Flashcards are cards with a question on one side and an answer on the other for study; notecards may simply hold reminders.

Word family

notecard noun

One single small card for writing notes.

note noun

A short written message or record.

notebook noun

A book of blank or lined pages for writing notes.

Commonly confused: notecards or flashcards? notecards or postcards?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “notecards”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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