How Learning Spanish Taught Me to Master LeetCode
A proven learning method I used for language learning is now the secret to my coding interview prep—and it’s working.
5/19/20251 min read
I’ve been putting off mastering LeetCode for too long. If I want to land an internship—or eventually a full-time offer—I need to stop stalling and start solving.
But the real question is: how do I go about it?
Do I start from problem #1 and work my way through? Thankfully, I don’t have to guess. There’s already an incredible YouTuber named NeetCode, who curated a list of 150 high-impact LeetCode problems. These take you from beginner (where I’m currently at) to solving mediums consistently.
Now, here’s where it gets interesting.
I learned Spanish a few years ago using a book called Assimil, which teaches the language by exposing you to useful, high-frequency sentences. Each lesson included short explanations and key takeaways. Over time, those patterns stuck.
NeetCode’s list is my LeetCode version of Assimil.
Each LeetCode problem is a “sentence.” I’ll start by:
Reading the problem (absorb the sentence),
Attempting it (no more than 45 minutes),
Watching NeetCode’s explanation to understand the optimal solution,
Re-coding the optimal solution from scratch (to solidify it),
Adding the problem to my Anki deck.
Why Anki? Because it’s built on spaced repetition—showing you cards just as you're about to forget them. That way, I don’t have to guess when to review. The system does it for me.
I’ll solve 1–2 new problems each day using this method and review due cards daily.
This is the same system I used to learn Spanish.
And now, it's how I plan to master LeetCode.