Who is this for?

People who read a lot and want to actually learn the words they look up.

I come across new words often -- reading the news, books, or even doing crossword puzzles -- and am often frustrated to find that I forget what they mean by the time I see them next. I created Vocab for Readers as a way to build my vocabulary with the words I discover organically.

When you quiz yourself here, your answers (either correct or incorrect) are stored and used to determine which words to surface on your next quiz. By noting the context in which you've disovered each word, you'll find that they stick much more easily. Each time you're quizzed on a word, you'll be reminded of exactly where you first found it.

As odd as it might sound, I think this makes the words in your list special -- meaningful in a way that they just wouldn't be if they had been given to you by someone else.

Adding words

If you already have a vocab list that you'd like to build off of, you can upload it here (you can also download a pre-filled template there, and then upload that file to play around with the app/quiz without having to find and add words yourself).

When you come across a word you don't know, you'll add it to your list by entering:

We'll handle retrieving the definition, synonyms, examples, and etymology.

See below for instructions on how to add a word from your phone or computer. If you read on an Apple device, you'll find that adding a word is particularly easy.


iPhone

The Vocab for Readers Shortcut makes adding words to your list seamless. No need to open a tab in a browser -- just copy the sentence and tap the icon on your home screen.


Setup
  1. On your iPhone, download the Vocab for Readers Shortcut. When you click that link, you'll see the "Download" option at the bottom of your screen. Tap it.
  2. Once it's downloaded, you'll then see "Open in..." at the bottom of your screen. Tap it and then select Shortcuts:
  3. Tap "Add Shortcut" on the bottom of your screen. This will open up your Shortcuts app, which comes pre-installed on every iPhone by default. If you've deleted the Shortucts app, you'll be prompted to reinstall it.
  4. Tap the three-dot menu at the top right of the Shortcut you just installed ("Vocab For Readers"). This will open up the Shortcut.
  5. At the bottom of your screen, tap the share button:
  6. Scroll down and tap "Add to Home Screen" and then confirm by tapping "Add" at the top right.

Adding a Word

When adding your first word, make sure to login first.

If you were reading on your phone when you came across the word:

  1. Select and copy the sentence that includes the word you'd like to add.
  2. Go to your home screen and tap the icon for the VocabForReaders Shortcut:
  3. When prompted, enter where you discovered the word.
  4. When prompted, choose "Copied the word in context" if you copied the word within a sentence; choose "Copied just the word" if you only copied the word.
  5. The first time you submit those responses, you'll see a popup asking if you'd like to allow the shortcut to open your browser. Choose "Always Allow"
  6. This will open up your web browser to the Add a Word page, with the discovery context and discovery source pre-filled.
  7. Select the word from the dropdown menu in the "Word" field, or type it in.
  8. Submit the form.

If you were not reading on your phone when you came across the word, the Shortcut is still a good way to add it. Follow these steps:

  1. Go to your home screen and tap the icon for the VocabForReaders Shortcut:
  2. When prompted, enter where you discovered the word.
  3. When prompted, select "Didn't copy anything"
  4. The first time you submit those responses, you'll see a popup asking if you'd like to allow the shortcut to open your browser. Choose "Always Allow."
  5. This will open up your web browser to the Add a Word page, with your discovery source filled in.
  6. Enter the discovery context.
  7. Select the word from the dropdown menu in the "Word" field, or type it in.
  8. Submit the form.

If you go through those steps and find that you're not already logged in, you'll be taken to a login page first (you can login with Google or Github). Once you're logged in, repeat the steps above.


Mac (Monterey 12.0 or newer)

Setup
  1. On your Mac, download the Vocab for Readers Shortcut.
  2. Open the file Shortcut file you downloaded ("Vocab For Readers.shortcut"). It will open in the Shortcuts app.
  3. Click "Add Shortcut" in the Shortcuts app.

Adding a Word

When adding your first word (or if you haven't logged in recently), make sure to login first.

If you were reading on your computer when you came across the word:

  1. Select and copy the sentence that includes the word you'd like to add.
  2. Click the Shortcuts icon in your menu bar (at the very top of your screen):
  3. Click "Vocab for Readers"
  4. When prompted, enter where you discovered the word.
  5. When prompted, choose "Copied the word in context" if you copied the word within a sentence; choose "Copied just the word" if you only copied the word.
  6. The first time you submit those responses, you'll see a popup asking if you'd like to allow the shortcut to open your browser. Choose "Always Allow."
  7. This will open up your web browser to the Add a Word page, with the discovery context and discovery source pre-filled.
  8. Select the word from the dropdown menu in the "Word" field, or type it in.
  9. Submit the form.

If you were not reading on your computer when you came across the word, the Shortcut is still a good way to add it. Follow these steps:

  1. Click the Shortcuts icon in your menu bar (at the very top of your screen):
  2. Click "Vocab for Readers"
  3. When prompted, enter where you discovered the word.
  4. When prompted, select "Didn't copy anything" and click Done.
  5. The first time you use the shortcut, you'll see a popup asking if you'd like to allow the shortcut to open your browser. Choose "Allow"
  6. This will open up your web browser to the Add a Word page, with your discovery source filled in.
  7. Enter the discovery context.
  8. Select the word from the dropdown menu in the "Word" field, or type it in.
  9. Submit the form.

If you go through those steps and find that you're not already logged in, you'll be taken to a login page first (you can login with Google or Github). If the form isn't pre-filled, repeat the steps above once you're logged in.


Android

Setup
  1. In Chrome, go to the Add a Word page.
  2. Tap the three-dot menu at the top right, then select "Add to Home screen" and name it.
  3. Move the bookmark wherever you'd like on your home screen -- when you tap it, Chrome will open the Add a Word page.

Adding a Word
  1. Select and copy the sentence that includes the word you'd like to add. If you weren't reading on this device, you can type the sentence instead in the next step.
  2. Tap your shortcut to open the Add a Word page and paste (or type) the full sentence in the "Discovery Context" field.
  3. Select the word from the dropdown menu in the "Word" field, or type it in.
  4. Enter where you came across the word in the "Discovery Source" field.

The word will be added to your vocab list, including your discovery context and the discovery source.


Desktop (non-Mac or Mac pre-Monterey 12.0)

Setup

In your browser, bookmark the Add a Word page for quick access.


Adding a Word
  1. Select and copy the sentence that includes the word you'd like to add. If you weren't reading on this device, you can type the sentence instead in the next step.
  2. Go to the Add a Word page and paste (or type) the full sentence in the "Discovery Context" field.
  3. Select the word from the dropdown menu in the "Word" field, or type it in.
  4. Enter where you came across the word in the "Discovery Source" field.

The word will be added to your vocab list, including your discovery context and the discovery source.


Quizzes

Once you've added some words to your list, the next step is to quiz yourself. Each quiz contains up to 15 words, depending on how many are in your list and how many you've added recently.

For each word in the quiz, think about whether you know what it means. Then, click the button to show the definition, synonyms, etc, and choose "Correct" if you got it right. Either way, take a moment to study the word. Only mark it correct if you're confident that you really know it -- you should be able to use it in a sentence, not just have the definition memorized.

We'll use your quiz results to help decide what to quiz you on next.


Quiz Reminders

If you have an iPhone, create an Automation to remind you to take a quiz. It takes 2 minutes to set up, and will make it much more likely that you'll quiz yourself regularly.

For example, you might opt to receive a push notification on your iPhone every day at 8pm, reminding you to take a quiz. The notification links directly to the Quiz page.

  1. Copy the Quiz page URL: http://www.vocabforreaders.com/quiz
  2. Open the Shortcuts app
  3. Tap the Automation tab at the bottom
  4. Tap the plus button at the top right to add a new Automation, then select "Create Personal Automation"
  5. Tap "Time of Day" and choose the frequency and time of day for your Quiz reminder
  6. Tap "Add Action" and then search for and select "Open URLs"
  7. Paste the Add a Word URL in the URL field, then tap Next, and then Done

View and edit your vocab list

Your vocab list shows all the words you've added along with stats showing how well you know them.

While we try to retrieve synonyms, examples, and etymology for every word you add, sometimes it's not possible. If you'd like, you can update the word to add these by clicking the "Update" button next to the word and following the instructions on the page. You may also want to edit the data we retrieve (e.g. adding another synonym to the ones we found or replacing the definition with another sense of the word). You can do all of that on the Update page.