Sometimes a flashcard tests the right fact but asks for it in a confusing way. Maybe the question could be answered a few different ways, or maybe past-you knew exactly what you meant when you wrote the card, but present-you has forgotten the context. Hints solve this: they let you clarify what you're being asked to recall, right on the card itself.

It's tempting to think of a hint as a shortcut, something that gives away part of the answer so a hard card feels easier. Used that way, hints can actually work against you: they might help you feel like you remembered something without your memory actually doing the work, which won't help when you need to recall the same fact outside of RemNote.

Used well, though, a hint isn't a shortcut to the answer, it's a clarification of the question. If a card asks "What is Newton's First Law?" and you keep drawing a blank on which law that is, a hint like "Related to inertia and motion" doesn't tell you the answer. It tells you what you're being asked about. That's a permanent part of the card, not something to remove later: the card was ambiguous before, and the hint is what makes it clear.

In other words, adding a hint is a way of editing your card to be clearer, the same as rewording a question or breaking a card into smaller pieces. If you're not sure whether a card needs a hint, a reword, or a split, see Dealing with Leech Cards.

For basic flashcards, you can add a hint by typing /hint followed by the prompt you want to see on the front of the card in the queue. This hint will appear during your study sessions, giving you a helpful clue when you need it.

This is how it will look in the flashcard queue:

Note that you can add hints to the backwards card too. Simply type /hint and it will automatically be added on the front of the backwards card.

If your flashcard is set to be reviewed in both directions (two-way card), you can add a different hint to help remember the answer in each direction. Type /hint and choose either Hint for backward card or Hint for front card.

As with Basic Cards, you can add a hint to cloze cards using the /hint command.

You can even add hints to multiple cloze cards within the same bullet. To do this, click anywhere near the cloze card you are having trouble remembering and type /hint.

This is what a cloze card with a hint will look like in the flashcard queue:

For multi-line cards, you can add hints the same way you do for basic cards, but you also have the option to add an individual hint to each multi-line card item.

To do it select the card item you’re struggling with and type /hint followed by the hint you want to add to help you remember that part of the multi-line card.

A good hint narrows down what you're being asked to recall; it doesn't supply the recall itself. For "What is Newton's First Law?", "Related to inertia and motion" is a cue. "An object in motion stays in motion" is just the answer in disguise, and won't help you when you run into the same question in the real world. If you notice a hint has drifted into giving away the answer, that's worth rewriting.

When adding hints, make sure they are short and straightforward. The goal is to offer just enough information to jog your memory without adding unnecessary details.

Mnemonics are among the most effective ways to enhance memory and help you create strong mental associations, making it easier to remember information.

For example, if you want to learn the order of the planets in the solar system, you can use the popular mnemonic "My Very Excellent Mother Just Served Us Nachos." By remembering this mnemonic, you'll be able to easily recall the planets in the correct order.

Tailor hints to your personal experiences. Personal connections can make information more memorable and meaningful. For example, if you are learning modern historical dates, you could use a hint like 'Same year as my favorite movie was released' to make the recall more relatable.

If you find yourself stuck on a card even with a hint in place, that's usually a sign the card itself needs more work than a hint can fix, maybe it's testing two things at once, or the wording is ambiguous in a way a short cue can't clear up. Try rewording the card or breaking it into smaller pieces; see Dealing with Leech Cards for more on working through cards like this.

If you're in the middle of a practice session and don't want to stop and fix the card right then, you can mark it with the Edit Later Power-up instead. It'll drop out of your practice queue until you come back and clean it up, so a confusing card doesn't keep costing you review time in the meantime.