The 8 Best Chrome Extensions for Learning English in 2026

The best Chrome extensions for learning English are Language Reactor for video, Readlang and the LingQ Importer for reading lessons, Google Dictionary for quick definitions, Grammarly for writing, and Wordie for building vocabulary privately while you browse. Mate Translate and Toucan round out the list for translation and passive exposure. Most people only need two or three of them: one for the way you consume English (video or reading), one for vocabulary, and possibly one for writing.

Disclosure: we build Wordie, one of the eight. We have placed it in the category where it honestly fits rather than at the top of every list.

How we chose

We only included extensions that are listed on the Chrome Web Store and actively available in 2026. Each one had to help an English learner do at least one of four things: understand authentic English, learn new words, remember them, or produce better English. We noted where each extension sends your data, because many of them process the text you select on remote servers. Where we could not confirm a current price, we describe the pricing model in general terms.

Summary table

1. Language Reactor: best for learning from video

Best for: intermediate learners who watch English films, series and YouTube.

Language Reactor adds dual subtitles (English plus your language), a pop-up dictionary on any subtitle word, and playback controls such as auto-pause after each line and replaying a sentence on Netflix and YouTube. It is one of the most useful tools for building listening skills from content you would watch anyway. Saving words and exporting them, including to Anki, are mainly paid Pro features. Our Language Reactor vs Wordie comparison goes into detail.

• Pros: excellent subtitle tools; makes native-speed video manageable; strong free core.
• Cons: focused on video sites; word saving and export need Pro; desktop only.

2. Readlang: best for reading web articles

Best for: learners who read news and blogs and want translations plus flashcards.

Readlang's Web Reader lets you click any word on a page to see a translation, or select a phrase to translate it, and it builds flashcards from what you look up. The free plan includes unlimited single-word translations with a daily cap on phrase translations and context explanations; Premium removes those caps. See Readlang vs Wordie.

• Pros: translation and flashcards in one flow; many language pairs; also available outside Chrome.
• Cons: translation-first, so you rely less on English definitions; phrase look-ups capped on the free plan.

3. LingQ Importer: best if you already use LingQ

Best for: LingQ users who want web articles and video transcripts as lessons.

The LingQ Importer sends the page you are reading, or captions from YouTube and some streaming sites, into your LingQ account as a lesson. There you read it with LingQ's word-status system, which tracks every word as new, learning or known, and review saved words. The extension itself is free, but LingQ's free account limits how many words you can save and lessons you can import. Some users report import errors on certain sites. See LingQ vs Wordie.

• Pros: turns almost any article into a structured reading lesson; strong for extensive reading.
• Cons: only useful with a LingQ subscription for serious use; reading happens in LingQ, not on the original page; import reliability varies.

4. Google Dictionary: best free quick look-up

Best for: anyone who wants fast English definitions with no setup.

Google's own dictionary extension shows a definition in a small bubble when you double-click a word, and offers a fuller look-up from the toolbar. If you opt in, it keeps a history of looked-up words that you can download as CSV. It also supports dictionaries in several other languages.

• Pros: free, light and reliable; history export is handy for making flashcards elsewhere.
• Cons: no review, no highlighting, no learning features; updates are infrequent.

5. Wordie: best for learning vocabulary while browsing, privately

Best for: intermediate and advanced English readers who want to keep the words they meet online, and anyone who wants their word list to stay on their own computer.

Select a word on any page and Wordie shows its English definition, part of speech, synonyms and related words, with a Save button. Saved words are then highlighted on every site you visit, so you meet them again in new sentences. A recall mode runs flashcards (Forgot / Hard / Easy) and tracks a mastery score per word, and the dashboard shows seven days of analytics and exports to CSV or JSON. There is no account and no server copy of your vault. Free for 20 words; Pro is $12.99 one-time; Student is $0.99/month.

• Pros: highlighting creates repeated encounters in context; English-English definitions with synonyms; local-first privacy; one-time price.
• Cons: no translation; no video or subtitle tools; desktop only with no sync; recall is simpler than a full spaced repetition scheduler.

6. Grammarly: best writing aid

Best for: learners who write English emails, reports or essays.

Grammarly is not a learning app, but it is one of the most-installed writing tools on Chrome. It underlines grammar, spelling and punctuation problems as you type in Gmail, Google Docs and most text boxes, and explains its suggestions. The free tier covers core corrections and some AI help; the Pro subscription adds full-sentence rewrites, tone adjustments and word-choice suggestions.

• Pros: catches errors where you actually write; explanations teach recurring patterns.
• Cons: easy to accept fixes without learning anything; the text you write is processed on Grammarly's servers; the most useful vocabulary suggestions are paid.

7. Mate Translate: best translator with a phrasebook

Best for: learners who still need translations but want to save them.

Mate Translate translates selected text in a pop-up, adds pronunciation and synonyms, and keeps a phrasebook of saved translations. Some features, such as automatic full-page translation, belong to its paid Pro plan. Compared with Google's own Translate extension, the phrasebook makes it more useful for learning.

• Pros: clean pop-up; phrasebook turns look-ups into a list.
• Cons: still translation-first; best features are paid; no real review system.

8. Toucan: best for passive exposure

Best for: casual learners who want a small daily dose without studying.

Toucan, now owned by Babbel, replaces a few words on the pages you read with their equivalent in the language you are learning, and hovering shows the original. It was designed mainly for English speakers learning other languages; English is listed among its languages, but check that your language pair is supported before relying on it. It has a saved words feature and a premium option that shows more words per page. It works best for light, low-effort exposure; see Toucan vs Wordie.

• Pros: effortless; good for building the habit; playful.
• Cons: few words per page; the words are chosen for you, not drawn from what you struggle with; built mainly for English speakers, so options for English learners are narrower.

How to choose the right combination

1. Start with how you consume English. Mostly video: Language Reactor. Mostly articles: Readlang, LingQ, or a dictionary-style tool.
2. Decide between translation and definitions. Below about B1, translation-based tools (Readlang, Mate) are easier. Above it, English-English definitions (Google Dictionary, Wordie) keep you thinking in English.
3. Add something that brings words back. A look-up you never see again is quickly forgotten. Choose an extension with flashcards, highlighting or export to Anki.
4. Add Grammarly only if you write a lot, and use it to learn patterns rather than to accept every fix.
5. Check privacy. If you read confidential documents, prefer tools that keep data locally or that you can switch off per site.

A practical starter kit for a B2 learner: Language Reactor for evening video, Wordie for daytime reading, and Grammarly for work emails. For more on the reading side, see how to learn English vocabulary while browsing and our wider look at language immersion tools.

Conclusion

No single extension covers everything. Language Reactor is the standout for video, Readlang and LingQ for structured reading, Google Dictionary for free look-ups, and Grammarly for writing. Wordie earns its place as the option for learning vocabulary while browsing with privacy: it is narrower than the others, but it is built for the one thing translation tools skip, which is making sure you remember the word the next time you see it.