diff --git a/frontend/src/dialogues/socialnetwork/VocabPracticeDialog.vue b/frontend/src/dialogues/socialnetwork/VocabPracticeDialog.vue
index 754b626..5dd57f7 100755
--- a/frontend/src/dialogues/socialnetwork/VocabPracticeDialog.vue
+++ b/frontend/src/dialogues/socialnetwork/VocabPracticeDialog.vue
@@ -270,10 +270,15 @@ export default {
       return this.pool.filter((item) => this.isItemMarkedHard(item));
     },
     hardRemainingCount() {
-      return this.hardPoolItems.filter((item) => {
-        const key = this.getHardKey(item);
-        return (Number(this.hardMasteryByKey[key]) || 0) < HARD_REQUIRED_CONSECUTIVE_CORRECT;
-      }).length;
+      // A displayed card can be an expanded answer variant of one stored hard
+      // item (e.g. "A / B"). Count and track the stored hard item once, not
+      // every generated variant separately.
+      const hardKeys = new Set(this.hardPoolItems
+        .map((item) => this.getHardMasteryKey(item))
+        .filter(Boolean));
+      return Array.from(hardKeys)
+        .filter((key) => (Number(this.hardMasteryByKey[key]) || 0) < HARD_REQUIRED_CONSECUTIVE_CORRECT)
+        .length;
     }
   },
   methods: {
@@ -346,6 +351,11 @@ export default {
     isItemMarkedHard(item) {
       return Boolean(this.findMatchingHardKey(item));
     },
+    getHardMasteryKey(item) {
+      // Prefer the key of the persisted SRS hard item. This keeps all
+      // acceptable variants of the same vocabulary pair on one mastery count.
+      return this.findMatchingHardKey(item) || this.getHardKey(item);
+    },
     removeHardEntriesForItem(item) {
       const itemLearning = this.normalize(item?.learning || '');
       const itemReference = this.normalize(item?.reference || '');
@@ -593,6 +603,13 @@ export default {
           this.hardVocabMap[key] = { learning: item.learning, reference: item.reference, itemKey: item.itemKey || item.id || null };
         });
       }
+      // This dialog is explicitly opened for the hard-vocabulary collection.
+      // Its correct answers must therefore count towards releasing those items
+      // from the very first question, rather than only after a full warm-up
+      // round through the same collection.
+      if (this.closeOnHardCompletion && this.hardPoolItems.length > 0) {
+        this.hardPhaseActive = true;
+      }
       if (this.maybeStartDailyHardPractice()) return;
       this.reloadPool();
     },
@@ -1049,7 +1066,7 @@ export default {
       }
       if (this.hardPhaseActive) {
         const hardItems = this.hardPoolItems.filter((item) => {
-          const key = this.getHardKey(item);
+          const key = this.getHardMasteryKey(item);
           return (Number(this.hardMasteryByKey[key]) || 0) < HARD_REQUIRED_CONSECUTIVE_CORRECT;
         });
         if (hardItems.length === 0) {
@@ -1058,7 +1075,7 @@ export default {
         }
         const rankedHard = hardItems
           .map((item) => {
-            const key = this.getHardKey(item);
+            const key = this.getHardMasteryKey(item);
             const mastery = Number(this.hardMasteryByKey[key]) || 0;
             const st = this.perId[item.id] || { c: 0, w: 0, streak: 0, lastAsked: 0 };
             return {
@@ -1204,7 +1221,7 @@ export default {
           st.streak = st.streak >= 0 ? st.streak + 1 : 1;
         }
         if (this.hardPhaseActive && this.current) {
-          const key = this.getHardKey(this.current);
+          const key = this.getHardMasteryKey(this.current);
           this.hardMasteryByKey[key] = Math.max(0, Number(this.hardMasteryByKey[key]) || 0) + 1;
           const mapKey = this.findMatchingHardKey(this.current);
           if ((Number(this.hardMasteryByKey[key]) || 0) >= HARD_REQUIRED_CONSECUTIVE_CORRECT && mapKey) {
@@ -1222,7 +1239,7 @@ export default {
         st.w += 1;
         st.streak = st.streak <= 0 ? st.streak - 1 : -1;
         if (this.hardPhaseActive && this.current) {
-          const key = this.getHardKey(this.current);
+          const key = this.getHardMasteryKey(this.current);
           this.hardMasteryByKey[key] = 0;
         }
       }