Skepsis is a free, open-source game that teaches the Greek roots, myths and big ideas hiding in everyday English, in 3-minute lessons. Every word comes with a Texas example. The name is Greek for "looking closely", the root of skeptic. I designed and built all of it: the web app, a public site with a page for every word, and an MCP server so an AI agent can tutor you. The code is MIT-licensed at github.com/ionpetro/skepsis.
Built on how people learn
Each lesson opens with a word you have not learned yet, because guessing first helps it stick. You learn a root through two example words, then decode a third you have never seen. Missed questions come back at the end of the lesson, and words return after 1, 3, 7, 14 and 30 days.
There are no hearts and no lives. Streaks, a daily goal, badges and Rodeo, an 8-seconds-a-question speed round, keep it fun without punishing anyone. Homer the armadillo, in a laurel wreath, keeps you company.
A page for every word, and an AI tutor
11 units cover 93 roots and ideas, from tele and graph to ethos, hubris and the Stoics, plus an "Is it Greek? Texas Edition" game. Each word also gets its own public page with the story, the Texas version and how to use it at work.
The same lessons and spaced review run as an MCP server, so Claude, Cursor or any MCP agent can teach you inside the tools you already use. The app is plain JavaScript with no framework, and the site is deployed on Vercel.
