I keep re-learning and re-forgetting this one, maybe because I don’t understand the mnemonic that WaniKani is using to explain it. Here’s WK’s description:
“Remember the word 分ける? That word means “to separate” too. The reading is similar, though not the same, but we can at least use it as a jumping off point. We go from わける to わかれる. It’s like we’ve “separated” the け and the る and combined them in the middle. け, making a かれ, which gets you to わかれる.”
I genuinely don’t have any idea what this means! The bolded part in particular, I keep reading it over & over and my brain can’t parse it. Is it wordplay? Help!
Understandable. It’s an odd one to differentiate. More-or-less, if you’re going off of the mnemonic WK is giving, then yes it is a form of wordplay.
Try saying just the ける portion out loud in a slow, stretched out manner. As you say it, you’ll start to hear the かれ sound. The “e” of the け will start to be approaching an “a” sound. And same for the respective る sound. Hopefully this helps?
If you can’t find a suitable way, and it continues being a leech. Utilize the self-study script to drill it (plus other leeches you may have) a few times during the week.
You’re not the only one 
I read it around 10 times and still don’t get it. As an alternative, I would suggest just memorizing this one. It’s a useful verb. Also, good idea to differentiate it from 分ける, because they have slightly different uses. You can 別れる with your partner/spouse, but you can’t 分ける with them 
.
Yeah, this one was tricky for me. I made the new mnemonic of when you break up/separate, you “walk away” (wa-ka-re…ru). There is still room to confuse the slight difference in meaning from 分ける, but it at least helped me with remembering how to say 別れる. 
Okay that’s pretty good, I’m stealing it!
WELCOME to the community!!! (even if you’re already on level 24… welcome anyways!!!) 
I don’t know I just tried to figure it out and I have no clue at all what they’re trying to say.
I skip almost all the mnemonics because they just kind of seem to be stupid gibberish. Why don’t they have explanations instead of the ramblings of the mad
I think it only makes sense in romaji.
わける → wakeru
わかれる → wakareru
See, the k and the e were separated. At least, I think that’s what they were going for. It’s still a pretty stupid mnemonic though.
Aye, that’s my take-away too. But yeah, trying to describe it without using the romaji is a bit daft (and why involve the る as well?).
That’s totally it! NOW it makes sense, still silly though