Tailoring Your Practice: The Custom Mode in Zakuska

Published on March 28, 2026

While our Default mode provides a fantastic, algorithm-driven path to fluency, we know that advanced learners often crave more control. That's why we built the Custom mode in Zakuska—a feature designed solely for users who want to dictate exactly what they study.

What is Custom Mode?

Custom mode is the ultimate sandbox for Russian vocabulary practice. Instead of relying on our spaced repetition algorithm to choose your daily words, Custom mode allows you to filter, select, and target specific categories, difficulty levels, or custom-built decks of words.

Targeting Your Weaknesses

Imagine you have a big exam coming up on verbs of motion, or you're planning a trip to Moscow and only want to practice food and travel vocabulary. In Custom mode, you simply set your parameters. You can isolate specific parts of speech, focus entirely on words you've consistently gotten wrong in the past, or drill a specific frequency tier.

Total Control

The beauty of Custom mode lies in its flexibility. It turns Zakuska from a guided course into a precision tool. By allowing you to tweak the variables of your study session, Custom mode ensures that your time spent on RURussian is always aligned with your immediate personal goals.