interleave

Everyday

1. To interleave things is to put them between each other in turn, like mixing two piles of cards one by one. tree →
2. To interleave a book is to put blank or extra pages between its pages. tree →

In the lessons

In study skills, interleaving means mixing different kinds of practice problems together instead of doing one kind at a time, which research suggests helps learning. In computing it means mixing two streams of data. Phrases: «interleave A with B», «interleaved practice».

Examples

• Interleave the red and black cards so they alternate. tree →
• The teacher interleaved addition and subtraction questions on the sheet. tree →
• Interleaved practice helps you remember better than doing one type at once. tree →
• She interleaved the photos with tissue paper to protect them. tree →
• The old diary was interleaved with pressed flowers. tree →
• The computer interleaves the two sounds so they play together. tree →

Note

Past form «interleaved». Mostly used in study, printing and computing; not an everyday word. Pattern: A, B, A, B, like a zip.