Only Words
Only Words is a mobile language-learning app focused on helping people understand foreign words in context, listen to them, save them, and practice with the vocabulary from a story while reading short, illustrated stories.
When readers encounter an unfamiliar word, the app reduces the need to leave the text and search in a separate dictionary. Tapping a word shows its primary translation, part of speech when available, and alternative meanings within the same flow. Readers can also listen to the word and its translation, reveal the translation of the sentence in which it appears, and save the word to their account for later.
Only Words is neither a general-purpose translation box nor a complete language course. At the center of the product is the experience of reading selected stories scene by scene and working with the vocabulary from those stories.
Core value proposition
Vocabulary lists often separate a word from its sentence, while general translation tools interrupt the reading experience and disconnect it from the learning process. Only Words combines these two steps in a single flow:
- Choose a story language and a translation language.
- Progress through the story with visual scenes and short passages.
- Tap an unfamiliar word for meaning and pronunciation support.
- Review the sentence translation and alternative meanings when needed.
- Save useful words, complete the story, or review the same vocabulary set in the card game.
In this way, discovery, reading, comprehension, saving, and short review sessions come together in one product experience instead of being spread across disconnected tools.
What problems does it solve?
- Memorizing words without context: It presents words in the sentences where they are used, rather than in isolation.
- Frequently switching apps while reading: It provides word and sentence support directly in the reading screen.
- A single translation not being enough: It shows available alternatives in addition to the primary translation and can request an additional translation suggestion when needed.
- Uncertainty about pronunciation: It lets readers listen to both the selected word and the displayed translation.
- Losing track of encountered words: It keeps important words in an account-linked Words to Learn list.
- Being unable to return to previously read content: It gathers saved and completed stories under My Library.
- Stopping at passive reading: It reviews a story’s vocabulary with two-option cards and presents a result summary at the end of the session.
Who is it for?
Only Words is particularly suitable for:
- People who want to expand their foreign-language vocabulary through short reading passages
- Learners who prefer to study words in sentence context
- Readers who need quick meaning and pronunciation support while reading
- People who want to revisit saved words and completed stories later
- Learners who prefer short, focused study sessions on their phone instead of long lessons
- People who want to switch among multiple source and target language pairs
- People who want to explore the content catalog and core experience before creating an account
For people seeking a program designed around a particular exam, profession, or proficiency level, Only Words serves as a context-focused study companion rather than a comprehensive curriculum on its own.
User experience
Only Words is designed for vertical phone use and has a dark, visually driven interface. Its bottom navigation contains three main areas:
- Story: The area for choosing a language pair, discovering stories under category headings, and starting learning modes
- My Words: The area for viewing account-saved Words to Learn and, when present in the account, Learned Words
- Profile: The area for accessing sign-in, My Library, Premium, and account settings
Story cards display a cover, the story title, and the word count in the selected source language. The detail screen brings together the cover, vocabulary set, update information, source language, save button, and two study modes. The reading screen presents a scene counter, a large image, and tappable text together.
Current features and ways to use them
Source and target language selection
On the home screen, Story determines the language to be read, while Translation determines the language in which meanings are displayed. The same language cannot be selected on both sides. The swap button in the middle exchanges the two languages with one tap, and selections are saved on the device for future use.
The language selectors include 13 languages and a total of 14 language variants, with separate United States and United Kingdom options for English:
- Turkish
- English (United States)
- English (United Kingdom)
- French
- Spanish
- German
- Portuguese
- Greek
- Russian
- Italian
- Polish
- Korean
- Japanese
- Chinese
This list shows the available language-pair choices; it does not mean that every story has the same content coverage in every language. Available story text, translations, and pronunciation support may vary by the selected language and the content currently available.
Category-based story discovery
Stories appear on the home screen as horizontal cards under category headings. This arrangement makes it easier to choose visually from available content instead of starting with an empty search field. Without signing in, visitors can still browse categories, story cards, and story details.
The current experience is based on choosing from category rows. It does not provide a separate text search or a See All flow that opens every item in a category.
Story details and saving
Tapping a story card opens its detail screen. There, readers can:
- See the cover and the vocabulary set associated with the story.
- Check the last-updated information and source language.
- Choose either Learn with the story or Learn with the card game.
- If signed in, add the story to My Library or remove it by using the bookmark button.
Guests can view the details, but reading, playing the card game, and saving require an account session.
Reading stories through visual scenes
When Learn with the story is selected, the required scenes are prepared and progress is shown as a percentage. Once preparation is complete, the story opens as a sequence of scenes made up of an image and text.
- Tapping the right side of the image advances to the next scene, while tapping the left side returns to the previous one.
- On first use, a short tap guide appears for both directions.
- A counter at the top displays the current scene together with the total scene count.
- A menu button can be used to close the reading screen.
- The Finish story button on the final scene saves the story to the Completed list and returns to the detail screen.
Simply reaching the final scene does not create a completion record; the reader must select Finish story. The current reading screen presents images and text, but it does not provide full-story narration or video playback.
Tap a word to translate
When a word in the story text is tapped, the word is highlighted and a translation panel opens at the bottom. When suitable data is available, the panel can show:
- The selected word and its part of speech
- The primary translation in the selected target language
- Information about the selected target language
- Pronunciation of the word in the source language
- Pronunciation of the displayed translation in the target language
- Prepared alternative translations
- A control to add the word to Words to Learn or remove it from the list
When no prepared alternative is available, the reader can request an additional suggestion through the Translate with ChatGPT action in the interface. These suggestions are translations intended to support learning and should not be treated as the single definitive meaning.
Optional sentence translation
The word panel also identifies the sentence containing the selected word. Choosing Translate sentence displays the complete sentence in the target language. This lets the reader compare not only a dictionary translation but also how the word should be understood in that specific sentence.
Only Words does not translate the entire story side by side in two languages. Sentence translation is optional and is opened through the word selected by the reader.
Pronunciation support
Separate speaker buttons in the word panel play the selected word in the source language and its primary translation in the target language. The source word can also be played from a card in the card game. This brings meaning and sound checks together in the same short study moment.
Audio availability may vary depending on the network connection, selected language, and individual word.
Card game practice
Learn with the card game turns the vocabulary from the selected story into a short two-option exercise. At least two usable words are required for the game to open.
Each card shows a word in the source language, with two target-language options displayed above and below it:
- Swipe the card upward or tap the upper panel to select the answer at the top.
- Swipe the card downward or tap the lower panel to select the answer at the bottom.
- Swipe an unknown word to the left or use the question-mark button to leave it Unanswered.
- Use the undo button to bring back the most recent swipe.
- A correct choice produces brief green feedback, while an incorrect choice produces brief red feedback.
At the end of the session, the app lists the numbers of Correct, Incorrect, and Unanswered responses, together with each source word, its target translation, and its result. This result screen belongs to that study session; scores are not saved to the account, and no permanent quiz history is created. To save words shown in the card screen, readers must star them from the translation panel while reading the story instead.
My Words
My Words shows words associated with the signed-in reader’s account in two sections:
- Words to Learn: Words starred while reading stories
- Learned Words: Words that already have this status in the account
Counts for both sections appear at the top of the screen. Tapping a word displays the source word, source language, primary translation, and saved alternatives.
In the current user flow, words can be added to or removed from Words to Learn, but there is no separate control that lets readers move a word to Learned status themselves. To remove a word from Words to Learn, its star must be cleared in the story’s translation panel.
My Library and story history
Opened from Profile, My Library collects an account holder’s stories in two tabs:
- Saved: Content stored with the bookmark on the story detail screen
- Completed: Content completed with the Finish story button on the final scene
Each group’s total is shown separately, and listed stories can be opened again. This area serves as a practical personal collection and completion record; it does not show reading dates, time spent, the last scene reached, or a detailed activity history. There is no automatic resume flow for a story that was left unfinished.
Guest discovery and account-based use
Only Words does not force people to create an account when they first open the app. As a guest, they can:
- Select source and target languages.
- View categories and story cards.
- Review story details.
Signing in is required to read stories, save words or stories, play the card game, and use My Words and My Library.
Sign-in options are:
- Continue with Google
- Continue with Apple on iOS
- A one-time verification code sent to an email address
There is no separate password to create and remember. A valid session can be restored the next time the app opens. The Privacy Policy is also available from the sign-in screen.
Profile and settings
Profile is the sign-in entry point for guests and the place where account holders access My Library and Settings. In Settings, readers can:
- Change the interface language.
- Clear the app cache.
- Open Only Words Premium or manage an active subscription.
- Sign out of the account.
- Permanently delete the account.
Clearing the cache may require some content to be downloaded again; it is not a substitute for deleting account data. Fourteen language variants can be selected for the app interface, but the current interface does not guarantee that every fixed label is fully translated in every language.
If the installed version of the app is no longer supported, an update screen may appear and direct the user to the store before they can continue.
Ad-supported use and Only Words Premium
In the standard experience, an interstitial ad may appear when a story or card game is started. Under its current definition, Only Words Premium removes these ads through a monthly or annual subscription.
The verifiable user benefit of Premium is an ad-free experience; a separate story catalog, exclusive learning mode, or expanded translation allowance is not offered as a Premium feature. Current plans, prices, and purchase terms may change according to the screen shown by the app store. An active subscription can be viewed, managed, or restored from Settings.
End-to-end user flows
1. Exploring without creating an account
- The app opens and loads the available story catalog.
- The visitor selects Story and Translation languages or swaps the two.
- They browse story cards in the category rows.
- They tap a card to view its cover, vocabulary set, update information, and two study choices.
- When they try to start reading or the card game, the app explains that sign-in is required.
- They can move to the sign-in screen from Profile or My Words, or continue exploring without an account.
This flow is intended for people who want to evaluate the product’s content approach and language options before creating an account.
2. Reading a story and saving a word
- The reader signs in with Google, Apple, or an email verification code.
- They select source and target languages.
- They open a story from a category row and optionally save it to My Library with the bookmark.
- They tap Learn with the story and wait for the scenes to be prepared.
- They move among scenes using the right and left tap areas.
- They tap an unfamiliar word and see its primary translation and, when available, part of speech.
- They listen to the source word or target translation.
- They open alternative translations and the sentence translation when needed.
- They use the star button to add the word to Words to Learn.
- On the final scene, they select Finish story.
- Later, they can see the word again in My Words and the story under My Library > Completed.
3. Reinforcing story vocabulary with cards
- The reader goes to the detail page of a story they opened earlier or just selected.
- They open Learn with the card game.
- They read the source word or listen to it using the speaker button.
- They choose the appropriate one of two translations with an upward or downward action.
- If unsure, they leave the question Unanswered; if they think they made a mistake, they undo the last action.
- After all cards are completed, they see the numbers of correct, incorrect, and unanswered responses.
- They review the word-by-word result list to decide which words need more attention.
Because results do not become a permanent score, this flow is intended for quick self-assessment rather than formal measurement.
4. Returning user
- A valid session is restored when the app opens.
- The reader goes to My Words to review Words to Learn and their translation details.
- From Profile > My Library, they reopen a saved or completed story.
- They either read the story again or start a new card session with the same content.
What the product provides
Only Words does not produce an exported report or certificate at the end of use. Its results appear directly within the learning flow:
- The primary translation and, when available, part of speech for the selected word
- Available or on-demand alternative translation suggestions
- Optional sentence translation
- Spoken pronunciation for the source word and target translation
- An account-linked Words to Learn list
- My Library, containing saved and completed stories
- Counts of correct, incorrect, and unanswered responses at the end of a card session
- The source word, target translation, and session result for every card
For persistent progress, word lists and Saved/Completed stories are retained. Card scores, reading time, the last scene reached, and detailed usage history are not persistent outputs.
Realistic usage scenarios
Studying English without interrupting the reading flow
A Turkish-speaking reader selects English (United States) as the Story language and Turkish as the Translation language. While reading a story scene by scene, they tap an unfamiliar verb, see its Turkish translation, and listen to the English pronunciation. If the one-word meaning does not fit the sentence, they reveal the sentence translation. They star the word and continue reading, then view the same word again in My Words after the session.
Comparing related meanings of a word
A reader decides that the first translation of a word in the story is not sufficient. They review the prepared alternatives in the panel or request an additional suggestion when no alternative is available. They then open the sentence translation to evaluate which meaning is more appropriate in this context. Here, Only Words provides a comparison space that supports contextual understanding rather than acting as a dictionary that delivers a final, definitive judgment.
Completing a short review session
A reader does not have time for a long lesson. They open a previously saved story from My Library and start the card game. They answer words quickly with upward and downward choices and leave unfamiliar ones unanswered. On the result screen, they see the incorrect and unanswered words and decide to pay particular attention to them during the next reading.
Working with multiple language pairs
A multilingual reader changes the source and target languages from the home screen or reverses them with a single button. Keeping the same app layout, they move to available stories in another language pair. They remain aware that content coverage and pronunciation support can differ by language.
Convenience for readers
- It provides word, sentence, pronunciation, and saving actions without leaving the reading screen.
- It changes source and target languages quickly from the home screen.
- It displays a right/left navigation guide the first time the scene reader is used.
- It makes waiting visible with percentage progress while a story is prepared.
- It lets visitors browse the catalog before creating an account.
- It offers social sign-in or a one-time email code instead of a password.
- It gathers saved words and stories in separate personal areas.
- It allows an unknown card to remain Unanswered instead of forcing a choice and lets the reader undo the latest action.
- It provides an ad-free Premium option without changing the learning features.
Important advantages
- Context comes first: A word is handled together with the story and sentence that carry it.
- There are two complementary study modes: The same content can be read and reviewed with short cards.
- Meaning and sound are together: The source word, target translation, alternatives, sentence, and pronunciation meet in one panel.
- It provides one flow from discovery to review: Story selection, word saving, completion records, and practice follow one another.
- Language pairs are flexible: Readers are not restricted to a single native-language/foreign-language pairing.
- It delays the account requirement: The catalog and details can be explored first; sign-in is requested when personal actions are needed.
- The scope of Premium is clear: In the current product, Premium’s verifiable difference is the removal of ads.
How it differs from general-purpose tools
General translation tools typically expect people to enter the text they want translated. Only Words supplies the study context through selected stories; the reader begins with a reading experience rather than an empty translation box.
In standalone flashcard apps, words are often entered manually. In Only Words, cards come from the vocabulary set of the selected story, creating a natural connection between reading and review. In exchange, readers cannot import their own free-form text, perform a general dictionary search for any word, or create a custom card deck.
The product also does not aim to provide comprehensive grammar lessons, a live teacher, speaking assessment, a placement test, or an official certificate of achievement. Its strength is helping readers understand a word quickly inside a story and complete a short review using the same content.
Membership, history, and subscription experience
- Guest use: The catalog, language selection, and story details can be explored without an account.
- Account-based use: Sign-in is required for reading, translation, pronunciation, the card game, saving words and stories, and personal areas.
- Session: A valid session can be restored on the next launch; readers can sign out from Settings.
- Story history: Only Saved and Completed lists are available; there is no dated activity history or saved resume position.
- Card history: The result summary is shown only in the open session and is not saved to the account.
- Notifications: The current app has no notification center, study reminder, or notification setting.
- Premium: This is the subscription experience that removes ads; an active subscription can be managed or restored from Settings.
Deleting an account is a separate action that removes account-linked word and story records; it should not be assumed to cancel an app-store subscription automatically. If an active Premium subscription exists, it should first be checked in the store’s subscription management area.
Privacy and data control
Only Words’s personal learning areas depend on an account. Saved words, saved stories, and completion status are associated with the account so that they can be shown again when the reader returns. Source and target language preferences are stored on the device.
To provide word meanings, alternative translations, sentence translations, and pronunciation, the selected word or sentence and the source/target language information are processed online. The free experience includes advertising; ad and purchase flows may be subject to the relevant device permissions and store conditions. Only Words should not be considered an offline dictionary that operates entirely on the device.
Controls directly available to readers include:
- Opening the Privacy Policy from the sign-in screen
- Signing out of the account
- Clearing the app cache
- Viewing or managing an active Premium subscription
- Permanently deleting the account after a second confirmation
Account deletion removes the account-linked profile and learning records, but it should not be treated as a comprehensive cleanup tool for the store subscription, language preferences remaining on the device, or every local file. Clearing the cache is also not a substitute for account deletion. When full control over data remaining on the device is required, the operating system’s app-data settings or uninstall options can be used separately.
Scope, connectivity requirements, and responsible use
- A network connection is required for the app to load the story catalog, prepare story scenes, provide translations, alternative suggestions, and pronunciation, and update personal records. There is no documented offline mode.
- Every story may not be available in every source language; the language choices do not guarantee equal content coverage.
- Translation, alternative suggestion, and pronunciation results may be incomplete or inaccurate depending on the context or language. Meanings that are official, legal, medical, academic, or safety-critical should be verified with other reliable sources.
- Only Words supports language learning; it does not guarantee vocabulary acquisition, fluency, exam success, or lasting recall within a particular period.
- A card result is a short self-assessment, not a permanent proficiency measurement or official score.
- Full-story translation, free-form text translation, general dictionary search, user text upload, and custom card deck creation are outside the current product scope.
- Search, detailed category pages, audio/video stories, notifications, saved reading position, and permanent quiz history are not part of the current user experience.
- The experience is designed for vertical phone use.
Short product summary
Only Words places foreign-language vocabulary study inside short stories. Readers choose a language pair and a story, read through visual scenes, tap unfamiliar words for meaning, pronunciation, alternatives, and sentence support, save important words, and optionally review the story’s vocabulary in the card game. Saved words and saved or completed stories are brought together in the account.
The product’s distinctive value lies in focusing on capturing a word in context while reading and reinforcing the same content through short review sessions, rather than trying to become a general dictionary or comprehensive course.