# Matching

> Pair items across two columns.

## What & why

A **Matching** card gives two short columns and asks the learner to pair each item on
the left with its partner on the right — a word with its translation, a term with its
definition, an author with their work. One card exercises several pairs at once, which
makes it an efficient way to drill a small set of related items.

## When it beats Basic

Use it for sets with clear **one-to-one relationships** where the items belong together
— a batch of vocabulary, a handful of terms and their meanings. Keep the set small
(around four to six pairs); a long column becomes a puzzle of elimination rather than a
test of knowledge.

It's a **recognition** exercise, not production — the learner picks from what's shown,
rather than recalling from nothing. For that reason, pair it with
[Basic](https://www.deckberry.com/creators/guide/card-types/basic/) or
[Reverse](https://www.deckberry.com/creators/guide/card-types/reverse/) cards when you also want the learner to
produce the answer cold.

**A good fit:** matching four Spanish words — _hola, gracias, adiós, por favor_ — to
_hello, thank you, goodbye, please_.

## Bad → good

Matching rewards a quick scan, so both columns should stay short and roughly the same
length. The fastest way to spoil one is to drop a definition into the right column: now
it's a reading test, the tiles stretch to uneven heights, and it's really a
[Basic](https://www.deckberry.com/creators/guide/card-types/basic/) card in disguise.

**Don’t**

**Photosynthesis** — the process by which green plants use sunlight, water and
carbon dioxide to produce glucose and oxygen…

**Respiration** — breaking glucose back down to release the energy a cell can use…

**Do**

**Photosynthesis** — light → glucose

**Respiration** — glucose → energy

When a pair truly needs a sentence to make sense, that's the signal to make it a Basic
card instead — not to stretch a column around it.

## In the editor

Add **two to six pairs** — a left item and its right partner on each row. The right
column is **shuffled for learners** by default (turn it off if the order carries
meaning). Studying is tap-to-pair: the learner taps a left item, then its match; a
completed pair locks in, and tapping it again releases it if they change their mind.
One note is **one review card** — matching doesn't expand the way Cloze or Reverse do.

## Related

- [Which card type to use when](https://www.deckberry.com/creators/guide/card-types/which-to-use/)
- [Reverse](https://www.deckberry.com/creators/guide/card-types/reverse/)
- [Basic](https://www.deckberry.com/creators/guide/card-types/basic/)

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[Read this guide on Deckberry](https://www.deckberry.com/creators/guide/card-types/matching/)