Official product information
About WordByWord
WordByWord is a reading assistant for language learners on iPhone and iPad. Open any website in its built-in browser, swipe right on a paragraph, and the translation is inserted below the original — paragraph by paragraph or sentence by sentence. Double-tap a word to see an AI explanation of what it means in that sentence.
Why WordByWord exists
Learning a language by reading real websites usually means copying text into a translator, losing your place, and forgetting what the original said. WordByWord keeps both on the same screen. You decide which paragraph to translate, the translation sits right under it, and the words you are unsure about can be explained without leaving the page.
How it works
On English pages you can also run Chunk Extraction and Action Flow on a translated sentence. On any page you can ask for an AI syntax explanation and listen with an AI voice or the iOS voices.
- Open a page in the built-in browser: type an address or search, with tabs and bookmarks for the sites you read.
- Swipe right on a paragraph. The translation is inserted below it — as one paragraph, sentence by sentence, or split automatically.
- Double-tap a word. WordByWord reads the sentence, checks for phrases first, and explains what the word means there; More Definitions opens the full entry.
What WordByWord does not do
It does not translate a whole page in one tap, and it is not a Safari extension or a share extension: translation happens inside its own browser. Double-tap lookup is not available for Chinese, Japanese or Korean source text, and Chunk Extraction and Action Flow work on English only.
About the name
WordByWord is sometimes written “Word by Word” and is listed as “WordByWord Translate” on the US App Store. It is not a literal word-for-word translator: it translates sentences and paragraphs, and explains single words in context.
Product facts
- Product
- WordByWord, a reading assistant for language learners on iPhone and iPad
- App Store listing
- WordByWord Translate — Swipe to translate AI explains
- Platforms
- iPhone and iPad with iOS 18 or later; also runs on Macs with Apple silicon (macOS 15 or later) and Apple Vision Pro
- App Store categories
- Education, Reference
- Price
- Free to download, with daily limits; optional WordByWord Plus monthly subscription ($3.99 in the US)
- Interface languages
- 20
- Translation languages
- 21
- Page language
- English by default; detected from the page and changeable
- Translation engines
- Cloud (currently Azure and Google) or on-device iOS translation
- Known limits
- No whole-page translation; no double-tap lookup for Chinese, Japanese or Korean text; Chunk Extraction and Action Flow on English only
- Developer
- Jinlong, an independent iOS developer
- First released
- June 6, 2025
- Current version
- 1.2.2 (May 27, 2026)
Timeline
- June 6, 2025 WordByWord 1.0 is released on the App Store for iPhone and iPad, with swipe-to-translate and double-tap lookup.
- 2026 Version 1.1 adds support for reading X (Twitter), a choice between cloud translation (Azure and Google) and the local iOS engine, Chunk Extraction for English, and a choice of local voices.
- 2026 Version 1.2 adds Action Flow for English sentences and a getting-started guide.
- May 27, 2026 Version 1.2.2, the current release.
Who makes WordByWord
WordByWord is designed, built and maintained by Jinlong, an independent iOS developer. Jinlong also makes SurfEnglish (see below).
WordByWord and SurfEnglish
Both apps are made by the same independent developer, Jinlong, and share the same reading engine. WordByWord is for reading the websites you choose, in many languages. SurfEnglish is built around daily English news and review games for people learning English.
| WordByWord | SurfEnglish | |
|---|---|---|
| Languages you read | Many — English by default; the source language can be detected or switched | English only |
| What you read | Any website in the built-in browser, with X as a first-class case | English news at levels A1–C1, plus a built-in browser |
| Translation | Swipe right on a paragraph; the translation appears below the original | The same gesture |
| Word lookup | Double-tap for an AI explanation in context (not for Chinese, Japanese or Korean text) | Double-tap for the meaning in context |
| English-only extras | Language chunks, Action Flow | Language chunks |
| Review | Translation and lookup history | Review games built from your saved sentences and words |
| Read aloud | AI voice in the cloud, or iOS voices on your device | Natural-sounding AI English voices on your device |
| App interface | 20 languages | 12 languages |
| Translations into | 21 languages | 21 languages |
| Mainland China App Store | Available | Not available |
Use WordByWord for the pages and X posts you choose, in any of its languages. If you are learning English and also want news at your level and review games, add SurfEnglish. The two apps work side by side.
Not to be confused with
WordByWord (word-by-word.app) is not related to WordByWord.io or its browser extensions, to the Chrome Web Store extension “WordByWord – Vocabulary Highlighter”, to Quran or Bible word-by-word apps, or to books titled *Word by Word*. The only official WordByWord app is the one from the developer of this site: WordByWord on the App Store.
Contact
Questions, bug reports and feedback: app.wordbyword@gmail.com. You can also send feedback from inside the app: tap ••• in the browser toolbar, then Feedback. Answers to common questions are on the Support page.
Official links
Last updated: October 5, 2026