LingQ vs Wordie: Two Ways to Learn Vocabulary From Reading

LingQ and Wordie are closer cousins than most tools in this series. Both are built on the idea that vocabulary grows fastest through lots of reading, with help at the moment you meet an unknown word. The difference is scope. LingQ is a complete input-based learning platform for more than 50 languages, with a lesson library, imports, audio, translations and mobile apps. Wordie is a lightweight Chrome extension for English: select a word on any web page, read its English definition and synonyms, save it, and see it highlighted everywhere it appears again. If you are learning a foreign language through reading and listening, LingQ is the stronger choice. If you want English vocabulary help on the sites you already read, Wordie is simpler.

Quick verdict: who should pick which?

• Choose LingQ if you are learning Spanish, Japanese, German or another language through content, you want translations into your native language, you value audio with transcripts, or you study on your phone.
• Choose Wordie if your target is English, you can understand English definitions, and you would rather read the web as normal than import articles into a separate reader.
• Use both if you study a foreign language in LingQ and also read English online for work or study.

What is LingQ?

LingQ, co-founded by polyglot Steve Kaufmann, is designed around comprehensible input. You pick a lesson from its library, or import your own content: articles, ebooks, YouTube videos with subtitles and more. In the reader, unknown words appear highlighted. Click one to see a translation, save it as a "LingQ", and it stays highlighted in yellow in every later lesson until you mark it as known. Words you never click become "known" when you finish a page, so LingQ can show a running known-word count, a motivating measure of progress. There is audio for most library lessons, a flashcard review, and apps for iOS, Android and the web. One Premium subscription covers all of its 50+ languages.

What is Wordie?

Wordie is a small Chrome extension (also Edge, Brave, Arc) from an independent maker. Select a word on any page and a card shows its English definition, part of speech, synonyms and related words. Save it, and Wordie highlights it on every page you visit from then on. Recall mode turns your vault into flashcards with Forgot, Hard and Easy ratings that update a 0–100% mastery score. The dashboard shows your list, 7-day analytics and CSV/JSON export. Words stay in local browser storage with no account.

LingQ vs Wordie at a glance

Learning approach: the same idea at different scales

The research behind both tools is solid. Hu and Nation (2000) found readers need to know about 98% of the words in a text for comfortable comprehension, and studies of incidental vocabulary learning (Waring & Takaki 2003; Pellicer-Sánchez & Schmitt 2010) show that words are gradually learned through repeated encounters in reading. Both LingQ and Wordie try to make those encounters count by marking words you have saved so you notice them next time.

LingQ does this inside a controlled environment. Because all your reading happens in its reader, it can track every word you have seen, estimate your vocabulary size, and help you choose lessons with the right proportion of new words. That is powerful, and it is the main reason serious input learners love it.

Wordie does it in the wild. It cannot count every word you have read, but it does not need you to change where you read. The highlight on pernicious shows up in your email newsletter, a Wikipedia article and a product review, which is exactly the kind of spread-out, varied exposure that helps a word stick. Our article on how to learn vocabulary from reading goes deeper into the method.

Workflow: import-and-read vs read-as-normal

LingQ

You decide to study, open LingQ, choose or import a lesson, listen and read, click new words, then review your LingQs. It is a dedicated study session, and the extra effort pays off with audio, tracking and a library graded by level. Importing from the web works, though it is an extra step compared with reading in place.

Wordie

You never leave the page. Select, read the definition, save. Review happens in short Recall sessions when you choose. The trade-off is that Wordie has no lesson library, no audio, no level grading and no translation into your native language.

Privacy and data

LingQ is account-based, so your LingQs, imports and statistics sync across devices. That is a clear advantage if you read on your phone in the evening and your laptop by day.

Wordie keeps everything in your browser's local storage. No sign-up, no Wordie server holding your list, but also no sync. Export regularly if your vault matters to you.

Price

Interestingly, both free tiers stop at 20 saved words. LingQ's help center confirms the 20-LingQ limit for free accounts, and the free plan also caps lesson imports. LingQ Premium was listed at $14.99 a month in September 2026, with cheaper per-month rates on annual and two-year plans, and a pricier Premium Plus tier with extra features. App store prices may differ.

Wordie Pro is $12.99 once, or $0.99 a month on the Student plan. LingQ costs more over time, but it also supplies content, audio and translation in dozens of languages, which Wordie does not attempt.

Where LingQ is clearly better

• Foreign languages. 50+ languages with translations; Wordie is English-definition only.
• Audio and listening, with transcripts for read-along.
• A graded library so you can find content at your level.
• Progress tracking through known-word counts and statistics.
• Mobile apps and sync.

Where Wordie fits better

• No importing. Help appears on any website, in place.
• English-English definitions with synonyms, which push you to think in English rather than translate.
• Highlighting across the whole web, not only inside one reader.
• Local-first and a one-time price.

Can you use both?

Yes, and the split is natural.

1. Use LingQ for your foreign language. Read and listen to a lesson a day, saving LingQs as you go.
2. Use Wordie for English. Keep it running in Chrome while you work and read, saving English words worth learning.
3. Keep them separate. Two vaults for two languages is cleaner than one mixed list, and each tool is tuned for its job.

If you are learning English and torn between them, try this: if English definitions still feel hard, LingQ's translations will help more. Once English definitions feel comfortable, Wordie keeps you reading real sites without switching apps.

The bottom line

LingQ is the more complete product: a reading and listening platform for dozens of languages, with audio, translations, tracking and mobile apps. Wordie is a focused English tool that brings the same core idea, learning words by meeting them repeatedly in reading, to every page in your browser at a one-time price. Learn a foreign language with LingQ; grow your English vocabulary where you already read with Wordie. For a closer look at another reading tool, see Readlang vs Wordie, and for the theory, comprehensible input explained.

Sources: Hu, M. & Nation, I.S.P. (2000), "Unknown vocabulary density and reading comprehension", Reading in a Foreign Language; Waring, R. & Takaki, M. (2003), Reading in a Foreign Language; Pellicer-Sánchez, A. & Schmitt, N. (2010), "Incidental vocabulary acquisition from an authentic novel", Reading in a Foreign Language; Krashen, S. (1982), Principles and Practice in Second Language Acquisition.