# Which to use when

> A quick map from what you're teaching to the right card type.

## What & why

Deckberry has several card types, but you don't need to master them to make a great
deck. Most of what people learn — words, definitions, facts, dates — is a plain
question and answer. The type only matters when the _shape_ of what you're teaching
asks for something more: a blank to fill, or an image that carries the question.

## The rule

> Not sure? Start with **Basic**. Reach for another type only when the material
> clearly calls for it.

Seven types are in the editor today:

- **[Basic](https://www.deckberry.com/creators/guide/card-types/basic/)** — a question on the front, the answer
  on the back. Your default for almost everything.
- **[Cloze](https://www.deckberry.com/creators/guide/card-types/cloze/)** — fill-in-the-blank inside a
  sentence. Use it when the surrounding words _are_ the point. One note can expand
  into several review cards.
- **[Rich media](https://www.deckberry.com/creators/guide/card-types/rich-media/)** — when an image is the
  question or the answer needs a picture beside it.
- **[Reverse](https://www.deckberry.com/creators/guide/card-types/reverse/)** — a fact studied both ways.
  Use it when the learner must both _recognise_ and _produce_ the answer —
  vocabulary above all. One note becomes two review cards.
- **[Multiple choice](https://www.deckberry.com/creators/guide/card-types/multiple-choice/)** — a question
  with 2–5 options and one correct answer. Use it for test-prep and exam practice,
  where recognising the right answer among plausible distractors is the skill.
- **[Matching](https://www.deckberry.com/creators/guide/card-types/matching/)** — two short columns the learner
  pairs up. Use it to drill a small set of related items — words and translations,
  terms and meanings — in one card.
- **[Listen & Type](https://www.deckberry.com/creators/guide/card-types/audio/)** — a clip plays and the learner
  types what they hear. Use it for the part of language reading can't teach — listening
  and pronunciation.
- **[Image occlusion](https://www.deckberry.com/creators/guide/card-types/image-occlusion/)** — mask regions of
  an image and reveal them one at a time. Use it when position is the knowledge —
  anatomy, maps, diagrams. One image can become several review cards.

All eight card types are live in the editor. Each has its own page describing what it's
for.

## Bad → good

The same fact, forced into Cloze versus written as plain Basic. Tap to flip.

**Before — Cloze used for a simple word pair — the blank adds nothing.**

> **Q:** The Spanish word for “the cat” is {{c1::el gato}}.
> **A:** el gato

**After — Basic — the natural shape for a two-sided fact.**

> **Q:** el gato
> **A:** the cat

## When it applies

- Reach for **Cloze** when the sentence around the blank teaches the meaning — a fact
  in context, a term inside its definition.
- Reach for **Rich media** when the learner needs to _see_ something — a flag, a
  painting, a diagram, a landmark.
- Reach for **Reverse** when both directions are a real skill — reading a word
  _and_ saying it, a term _and_ recalling it from its meaning. Skip it when only
  one direction makes sense (naming a country from its capital usually isn't the
  skill you're after).
- Reach for **Multiple choice** when the material is exam-style — a question with
  plausible wrong answers the learner must tell apart. Skip it for plain recall,
  where Basic is leaner.
- Everything else is **Basic**. It's not the beginner's type; it's the type most good
  decks are mostly made of.

Don't pick a fancier type to make a deck look richer. The best type is the one that
matches the material — usually the simplest one that fits.

## Related

- [Basic](https://www.deckberry.com/creators/guide/card-types/basic/)
- [Cloze](https://www.deckberry.com/creators/guide/card-types/cloze/)
- [Rich media](https://www.deckberry.com/creators/guide/card-types/rich-media/)
- [Reverse](https://www.deckberry.com/creators/guide/card-types/reverse/)
- [Multiple choice](https://www.deckberry.com/creators/guide/card-types/multiple-choice/)
- [One card, one fact](https://www.deckberry.com/creators/guide/deck-craft/one-fact/)

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