Word Atlas: 7,298 IELTS words, each with its own illustration

Most vocabulary apps stall on the same two problems: a subscription fee, and a review algorithm you can’t inspect. Word Atlas (词光) is an open-source IELTS vocabulary app, created on GitHub on October 25, 2026, that had gathered 3,649 stars by November 1. Its approach is to anchor every word to a picture: 7,298 IELTS entries, each with an original illustration (512 px WebP), UK and US pronunciation, bilingual definitions, and two original example sentences. The web app works without an account, and progress stays on your device. The code is MIT-licensed; the word list, illustrations, and recordings are CC BY 4.0 — both LICENSE and CONTENT_LICENSE.md read and confirmed.

Core features

• Illustrated word list: 7,298 IELTS entries split by CEFR level (785 at A1 down to 274 at C2) and by 19 topics — everyday life leads at 1,828 words, then society at 824 and thinking at 516.
• FSRS review scheduling: the open spaced-repetition algorithm (via ts-fsrs) computes each next review from your actual answers, with an adjustable target retention rate. Only first attempts count toward your accuracy score — review repetitions don’t inflate the number.
• Audio in two accents: UK and US pronunciations per word, plus spoken example sentences.
• Open dataset: the data/ directory ships definitions, examples, levels, and topic tags under CC BY 4.0.

Learned words light up a “galaxy”: the 19 topics form a draggable, zoomable WebGL2 starfield where brightness tracks your learning state and tapping a star opens its card. Progress visualization doubles as the reason to come back — the desktop screenshot above shows how illustration, definition, examples, and audio share one screen.

Typical use cases

• IELTS candidates priced out of subscription vocabulary apps: free, no account, and the 7,298-word list covers the exam.
• Learners who memorize through images: every word carries an illustration hook plus audio, two retrieval cues instead of bare spelling.
• Developers and researchers: the CC BY 4.0 dataset (definitions, examples, levels, topics) is enough to build your own tool or corpus.

Quick start

The hosted version needs nothing but a visit: 0xlei.tech/words, no account; an iOS beta app is linked from the README. To self-host, clone the repository and follow the local-run instructions. The data/ directory ships all 7,298 entries as a standalone download (CC BY 4.0 — attribution required, commercial use allowed), usable as a foundation for your own vocabulary tool or language-learning app.

Summary

Word Atlas suits IELTS candidates tired of subscriptions and opaque review queues; for developers, a CC BY 4.0 illustrated word list is useful raw material on its own. Know the edges: the hosted site iterates independently and the repository may lag behind it, progress lives in your browser (export before switching devices or clearing cache), and the repo carries no release tags — commit history is the reference. GitHub data verified November 1, 2026.