What is an example of interleaving?

Mixed math problems: Studying a jumble of problem types teaches you which method to pick, not just how to repeat one.

Where do you see interleaving in everyday life?

Mixed math problems; Sports drills; Music practice; Language study; The harder, better way.

Mix related skills or problem types in a session instead of drilling one to fluency before the next.

Make It Stick · Peter C. Brown, Henry Roediger & Mark McDaniel

Curated by Paulo de Vries · reviewed 2026-06-01

Mixing different topics or skills in one practice session beats drilling one thing at a time. It feels harder, but the learning sticks far better.

Mixed math problems
Studying a jumble of problem types teaches you which method to pick, not just how to repeat one.
Sports drills
Alternating shots in tennis practice prepares you for a real match better than a hundred identical serves.
Music practice
Rotating between pieces and techniques in a session builds more durable skill than looping one passage.
Language study
Mixing vocabulary, grammar, and listening beats spending a whole hour on a single drill.
The harder, better way
Interleaving feels less smooth in the moment, which is exactly why it builds stronger memory.

Mix related skills or problem types in a session instead of drilling one to fluency before the next.
When practice feels smooth and easy, suspect you're building fragile fluency — add variety to reintroduce useful difficulty.
Pair it with spacing: interleaving naturally spreads each item out, doubling the long-term benefit.

That's just how memory works. Lock interleaving in with a 5-minute active-recall session — spaced repetition, no signup.

One tap adds it to your review queue — we bring it back right before you'd forget.