diff --git a/basis/vocabs/cache/cache.factor b/basis/vocabs/cache/cache.factor
index 1f62f02dde..0717074623 100644
--- a/basis/vocabs/cache/cache.factor
+++ b/basis/vocabs/cache/cache.factor
@@ -1,11 +1,11 @@
 ! Copyright (C) 2009 Slava Pestov.
 ! See http://factorcode.org/license.txt for BSD license.
-USING: assocs kernel namespaces memoize init vocabs
+USING: assocs kernel namespaces memoize init sequences vocabs
 vocabs.hierarchy vocabs.loader vocabs.metadata vocabs.refresh ;
 IN: vocabs.cache
 
-: reset-cache ( -- )
-    root-cache get-global clear-assoc
+: reset-cache ( vocab -- )
+    vocab-name root-cache get-global delete-at
     \ vocab-file-contents reset-memoized
     \ all-vocabs-recursive reset-memoized
     \ all-authors reset-memoized
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ IN: vocabs.cache
 
 SINGLETON: cache-observer
 
-M: cache-observer vocabs-changed drop reset-cache ;
+M: cache-observer vocab-changed drop reset-cache ;
 
 [
     f changed-vocabs set-global
diff --git a/basis/vocabs/refresh/monitor/monitor.factor b/basis/vocabs/refresh/monitor/monitor.factor
index c6d55b047e..3f15bb951e 100644
--- a/basis/vocabs/refresh/monitor/monitor.factor
+++ b/basis/vocabs/refresh/monitor/monitor.factor
@@ -31,7 +31,10 @@ TR: convert-separators "/\\" ".." ;
 : monitor-loop ( monitor -- )
     #! On OS X, monitors give us the full path, so we chop it
     #! off if its there.
-    [ next-change path>> path>vocab changed-vocab reset-cache ]
+    [
+        next-change path>> path>vocab
+        [ changed-vocab ] [ reset-cache ] bi
+    ]
     [ monitor-loop ]
     bi ;
 
diff --git a/core/vocabs/loader/loader.factor b/core/vocabs/loader/loader.factor
index 1c4b07290b..47fe95e747 100644
--- a/core/vocabs/loader/loader.factor
+++ b/core/vocabs/loader/loader.factor
@@ -26,7 +26,6 @@ SYMBOL: add-vocab-root-hook
     [ add-vocab-root-hook get-global call( root -- ) ] bi ;
 
 SYMBOL: root-cache
-
 root-cache [ H{ } clone ] initialize
 
 ERROR: not-found-in-roots path ;
@@ -69,7 +68,6 @@ SYMBOL: load-help?
 
 ! Defined by vocabs.metadata
 SYMBOL: check-vocab-hook
-
 check-vocab-hook [ [ drop ] ] initialize
 
 <PRIVATE
diff --git a/core/vocabs/vocabs.factor b/core/vocabs/vocabs.factor
index e2a9b895e7..f86dcda135 100644
--- a/core/vocabs/vocabs.factor
+++ b/core/vocabs/vocabs.factor
@@ -79,7 +79,7 @@ M: f vocab-main ;
 
 SYMBOL: vocab-observers
 
-GENERIC: vocabs-changed ( obj -- )
+GENERIC: vocab-changed ( vocab obj -- )
 
 : add-vocab-observer ( obj -- )
     vocab-observers get push ;
@@ -87,13 +87,13 @@ GENERIC: vocabs-changed ( obj -- )
 : remove-vocab-observer ( obj -- )
     vocab-observers get remove-eq! drop ;
 
-: notify-vocab-observers ( -- )
-    vocab-observers get [ vocabs-changed ] each ;
+: notify-vocab-observers ( vocab -- )
+    vocab-observers get [ vocab-changed ] with each ;
 
 : create-vocab ( name -- vocab )
     check-vocab-name
     dictionary get [ <vocab> ] cache
-    notify-vocab-observers ;
+    dup notify-vocab-observers ;
 
 ERROR: no-vocab name ;
 
@@ -126,8 +126,8 @@ M: object >vocab-link dup lookup-vocab [ ] [ <vocab-link> ] ?if ;
 
 : forget-vocab ( vocab -- )
     [ words forget-all ]
-    [ vocab-name dictionary get delete-at ] bi
-    notify-vocab-observers ;
+    [ vocab-name dictionary get delete-at ]
+    [ notify-vocab-observers ] tri ;
 
 M: vocab-spec forget* forget-vocab ;