How to Import Flashcards from a CSV File into Repetit
Already have a word list, a spreadsheet, or an exported deck from another app? Skip the retyping. This guide covers the exact CSV format Repetit expects, how to prepare a clean file, the mistakes that break most imports, and the import steps themselves.
Typing 300 cards by hand is a waste of an evening
If you already have a vocabulary list, a term-definition spreadsheet, or a deck exported from another tool, there's no reason to recreate it card by card. Repetit's CSV import turns a two-column spreadsheet into a fully working collection in seconds — the same collection you'd use to start learning from scratch, just populated instantly.
The catch: CSV is a simple format, but it's unforgiving about small mistakes. A single unescaped comma can silently turn one row into two broken ones. This guide gets you a clean file on the first try.
From spreadsheet to study deck
Spreadsheet to full collection
The CSV format Repetit expects
CSV stands for "comma-separated values" — a plain text file where each line is one card, and a comma separates the front from the back. Repetit needs just two things to work:
- Two columns per row: front, then back.
- UTF-8 encoding, so accents, Cyrillic, Japanese, and other non-Latin scripts display correctly.
- Any field that itself contains a comma wrapped in double quotes.
- An optional third column for tags or notes, if you use them.
front,back "hablar (yo form)",hablo "taberu, to eat","means ""to eat"" in Japanese" mitochondria,the powerhouse of the cell
front,back and skips it. If your file has no header, the import preview lets you tell Repetit which column is which.Preparing your file
Most spreadsheets don't start as clean CSVs — they're Excel workbooks, Google Sheets, or exports from another flashcard app. Here's the prep that avoids 90% of import problems:
- Delete blank rows and any extra columns beyond front/back/tags.
- Remove duplicate rows — sort by the front column and scan for repeats.
- Check that every row follows one fact per card — split anything that crams two questions into one row.
- Open the .csv in a plain text editor once before importing — if it looks readable there, Repetit will read it correctly too.
Common mistakes that break imports
Four mistakes cause almost every failed or messy import. Here's what each looks like, and the fix.
1. Unescaped commas inside a field
The parser reads "to eat" as its own extra column.
Double quotes around each field keep the comma from splitting it.
2. Wrong delimiter (semicolon instead of comma)
Common when Excel is set to a European locale — the whole row imports as one field.
Re-export with a comma delimiter, or use Repetit's delimiter picker in the import preview.
3. Blank rows or a stray header mid-file
hola,hello
front,back
adios,goodbye
The second "front,back" line imports as a literal card instead of being skipped.
hola,hello
adios,goodbye
One header row at the top, no blank lines in between.
4. Wrong file encoding (mojibake / garbled accents)
"école" turns into garbage characters — the file wasn't saved as UTF-8.
Save or export explicitly as "CSV UTF-8" — most spreadsheet apps offer this as a distinct option.
Importing into Repetit
With a clean CSV in hand, the import itself takes under a minute:
- Open an existing collection, or create a new one to import into.
- Tap the menu icon → Import → CSV file, and select your file.
- In the preview screen, map each column to Front, Back, or Tags.
- Confirm — cards are created instantly and appear in your review queue.
The question side — required
The answer side — required
Optional — for filtering later
CSV errors and their fixes
| Symptom | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Extra column / broken row | Unescaped comma inside a field | Wrap the field in "double quotes" |
| Whole row in one column | File uses semicolons, not commas | Re-export with comma delimiter |
| A literal "front,back" card | Header row repeated mid-file | Keep only one header, at the top |
| Garbled accented letters | File saved in the wrong encoding | Re-save/export as "CSV UTF-8" |
| Duplicate cards after re-import | Same file imported twice | Repetit skips exact duplicates automatically |
Final check before you hit "Import"
The file is saved as .csv, not .xlsx, .numbers, or .ods.
It was exported/saved as UTF-8, so accents and non-Latin scripts survive.
Every field with a comma is quoted — check any long definitions or explanations especially.
Blank rows and duplicates are removed, and there's only one header row at the top.
You've checked the import preview before confirming — not just uploaded and hoped.
FAQ: CSV import
What columns does Repetit's CSV import need?
At minimum, two columns: front and back. You can optionally add a third column for tags or a notes field, which Repetit will map during the import preview.
Can I export straight from Excel or Google Sheets?
Yes. In Excel, use File → Save As → CSV UTF-8 (Comma delimited). In Google Sheets, use File → Download → Comma-separated values (.csv). Both produce a file Repetit can read directly.
Why did my import create cards with extra columns or broken text?
This almost always means a comma inside your text wasn't wrapped in quotes, so the CSV parser split one field into two. Wrap any field containing a comma in double quotes, e.g. "taberu, to eat".
Will importing create duplicate cards if I run it twice?
Repetit checks for exact front-text matches within the same collection during import and skips duplicates by default, so re-importing the same file won't double your deck.
Is there a limit to how many cards I can import at once?
Free accounts can import up to 500 rows per file; paid plans support larger files. For very large vocabulary lists, splitting into a few files by topic also makes the cards easier to organize into separate collections.