The method
Pépite is a general-knowledge app, country by country, written in French. A lesson takes five minutes: you read a few animated cards, answer four questions, and your mascot grows. Every date, figure or quote points to a source you can open, and the questions come back over the following days so it sticks. That is the idea behind micro-learning: five minutes often rather than an hour now and then.
Five minutes a lesson
Six to ten cards, one idea per card, and the context first.
Four questions, and their explanations
True or false, multiple choice, put in order, fill the gap.
Spaced review
Your questions come back the next day, then at 3, 7, 21 and 60 days. Thirty a day at most.
- Sources you can openEvery date, every figure, every quote points to a source you can open.
- Your streak, no pressureMissing a day now and then won’t break your streak.
On the train, the metro, the plane
The daily lesson and your review save themselves on your phone. You read with no signal, and your progress syncs when it comes back. The iOS and Android apps are coming soon.
Why
We spend hours scrolling past things we will have forgotten by the evening. The idea behind Pépite is plain: take five of those minutes back and come out with something to tell. It reads like a story told well, and if you feel like spending an hour on it, nobody will stop you.
Who writes
L’équipe de Pépite
The Pépite team writes every lesson. Each one carries the date it was last updated and its list of sources, and a reported error gets fixed.
Our writing rules
- 1One brief per lesson, which fixes the angle and the sources before the first line is written.
- 2First-hand sources first: Wikisource, Gallica, Persée, archives, museums and institutes. The original text outranks the commentary.
- 3Every date, every figure, every quote points to its source, named at the foot of the lesson.
- 4When historians disagree, the lesson says so and gives both readings.
- 5The sources are listed under each lesson, linked directly, so you can go and look.
What we refuse to do
- No advertising, no selling your data.
- No fake reviews, no invented user counter, no countdown that lies.
- No fact written that cannot be tied to a source.
- No encyclopedia paraphrase: we go to the sources, and we cite them.
- No hidden cancellation: you cancel from your account, at any time.
Frequently asked questions
Which sources do you use?
First-hand sources first: Wikisource, Gallica, Persée, archives, the websites of museums and the publications of institutes. The original text outranks the commentary, and every lesson lists its sources as direct links, so you can go and look.
Where does what I read come from, and how do I check it?
Every lesson names its sources at the foot of the page, as direct links: you click and you check. A fact that cannot be tied to a source does not get written.
What do you do when historians disagree?
We say so. The lesson gives both readings and who argues them, instead of picking one to keep it simple.
How do I report a mistake?
Write to us at the address at the bottom of this page. If the mistake is confirmed, we fix the lesson and its update date changes, so you can see it’s done.
Why do the questions come back several days later?
Because you remember far better what you see again just before forgetting it. A question comes back the next day, then at 3, 7, 21 and 60 days, and a wrong answer brings it back the next day.
Does Pépite replace a course or exam revision?
No, Pépite is for understanding a country and having things to talk about, five minutes at a time. For an exam, keep your revision notes.
What is micro-learning?
It means learning in short, regular sessions rather than long sittings. In Pépite, a lesson takes five minutes and its questions come back over the following days so it sticks.
How much does it cost?
The first seven days are free on both plans: your card is asked for, but nothing is charged during the trial. After that, the yearly plan comes to less than ten cents a day, and you can cancel at any time.
Is it suitable for children?
Yes, from secondary school, if a parent opens the account. Everything is sourced, and the app has no ads and no endless feed.
What if I miss a day?
Nothing is wiped. A missed day now and then does not break your streak, and the review picks up where you left off.
Write to us
A mistake, an idea for a chapter, a question? Write to us at bonjour@pepite.today