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Glossary

What Is Cloze Deletion? A Memorization Technique for Flashcards

May 27, 20263 minEmily Chen
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In this article
  1. 1.Example
  2. 2.Why it's useful
  3. 3.When to use cloze
  4. 4.When not to use cloze
  5. 5.Tools that support cloze
  6. 6.Related reading

Short answer. Cloze deletion is a flashcard format where part of a sentence is blanked out, and you have to retrieve the missing word(s) from memory. The name comes from "closure" in cognitive psychology — the brain's tendency to complete patterns.

Example

Sentence: "The mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell."

Cloze deletion card:

  • Front: "The [...] is the powerhouse of the cell."
  • Back: "mitochondria"

    • Why it's useful

    Cloze cards keep context in the prompt. Compared to a traditional "What is the powerhouse of the cell?" prompt, the cloze version:

  • Preserves the **sentence structure**, which is itself a retrieval cue
  • Tests recognition **in context** rather than isolated recall
  • Scales well to **multiple deletions** in the same sentence

    • When to use cloze

  • Sentence-based definitions. "Mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell" works better as cloze than as Q/A.
  • Sequential facts. "The phases of mitosis are prophase, [...], anaphase, telophase" tests the missing piece with context.
  • Multi-deletion cards. "The capital of [...] is [...]" — two deletions from one sentence make efficient cards.

    • When not to use cloze

  • Truly isolated facts. "What is the chemical symbol for gold?" doesn't gain from cloze format.
  • When context matters less than recognition. Visual material (anatomy diagrams) is better with image occlusion.
  • Concept questions. "Why does X cause Y?" doesn't fit cloze cleanly.

    • Tools that support cloze

  • Anki — native support, including multi-cloze
  • RemNote — cloze syntax built into note-taking
  • SuperMemo — original cloze implementation
  • AI flashcard generators — most modern tools generate cloze cards from text input

    • Related reading

  • [Spaced Repetition Flashcards — Student Guide](/blog/spaced-repetition-flashcards-student-guide)
  • [What Is Active Recall?](/blog/what-is-active-recall)
  • [Spaced Repetition vs Flashcards](/blog/spaced-repetition-vs-flashcards)
  • [Spaced Repetition Guide](/blog/spaced-repetition-guide)

    • Generate cloze-style flashcards from your notes.

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    Emily Chen

    Cognitive Psychology Writer & Study Skills Coach

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