# One card, one fact

> The single habit that makes a deck easy to review and hard to fail: each card tests exactly one thing.

## What & why

A card that asks for two things can't be graded honestly. You half-remember one,
blank on the other, and there's no single answer to mark right or wrong. Splitting
each idea onto its own card keeps every review a clean pass or fail — which is
exactly what Deckberry needs to schedule the card at the right time.

## The rule

> If the answer contains an “and”, it's probably two cards.

## Bad → good

A real card from the **Beginner Spanish** catalog deck. Tap a card to reveal its answer.

**Before — Two facts in one card — impossible to grade.**

> **Q:** What are the Spanish words for “to be” and when do you use each?
> **A:** ser (permanent) & estar (temporary)…

**After — One fact — a clean pass or fail. (“estar” becomes its own card.)**

> **Q:** Which “to be” verb marks a permanent trait?
> **A:** ser

## When it applies

Split a card whenever the answer is a list, a pair, or has an “and” in it — each
item earns its own card so recall is unambiguous.

Don't over-split, though. A single fact with its context — a word together with the
example sentence that gives it meaning — belongs on one card. The goal is one
_idea_ per card, not one _word_ per card.

## Related

- [Ask, don't display](https://www.deckberry.com/creators/guide/deck-craft/ask-dont-display/)
- [Self-gradable answers](https://www.deckberry.com/creators/guide/deck-craft/self-gradable/)
- [Common mistakes & anti-patterns](https://www.deckberry.com/creators/guide/tips/anti-patterns/)

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[Read this guide on Deckberry](https://www.deckberry.com/creators/guide/deck-craft/one-fact/)