Solaread

An EPUB reader that knows which words you need

Most e-readers help with a foreign word only after you stop and tap it. That works for a word or two a page. With ten unknown words a page, you tap, wait, read the pop-up, find your line again, and by chapter two the book is closed.

Solaread works the other way round. Before you reach a hard word, its translation is already there, right after it in the line. The words you know are left alone.

Your eyes stay on the line

The translation sits right after the word, in the same line, not in a side panel. You never look away to read it and then hunt for where you were. That is deliberate: Solaread is designed for staying focused.

It is also quiet. A short gloss in parentheses, set into the text, there when you need it and easy to read past when you do not. It helps without pulling you out of the book.

How it works

  1. Import your book. EPUB, TXT or PDF.
  2. Take a vocabulary test of about 30 seconds. One word at a time, two answers: Don't know or Know it. Twenty words for general vocabulary.
  3. Read. Solaread predicts the words you probably do not know and puts a short translation in parentheses after each one.
  4. Correct it as you go. Double-click a word it missed to see the translation and save it. Mark a word as known, and the model adjusts.
  5. It learns. As your vocabulary grows, it translates less.

What you get as a learner

  • Help inside the line. No side panel, no pop-up to dismiss.
  • Context when one word is not enough. Hover a hint and a small popover explains the term in the sentence you are reading.
  • A vocabulary book that remembers where. Every saved word keeps the sentence it came from, one click away from its place in the book.
  • Saved words stay marked. A word you saved keeps its gloss under the line whenever you reread the passage.
  • Your language for the hints. English, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, French, German, Vietnamese, Spanish and Portuguese are one click away, and you can search for others in Settings.

Which books

Books can be in English, French or Spanish today. Formats are EPUB, TXT and PDF; PDF papers are turned into readable text, scanned pages included.

You bring the files. Solaread is a reader, not a bookstore, and it does not remove copy protection.

When a regular e-reader is the better choice

  • You read on an e-ink device. Solaread runs in a web browser.
  • You rarely meet an unknown word. A tap-to-look-up dictionary is enough.
  • Your book is in a language other than English, French or Spanish.

What is free and what is not

A free account reads EPUB and TXT books, with a monthly translation allowance. Scholar Plus is USD 9.99 per month and adds PDF import, the notes panel and far more translation each month. The allowance is larger, not unlimited.

Questions

Do I need to install anything?

No. Solaread runs in Chrome, Edge, Safari and Firefox.

Do I need an account?

Yes. The vocabulary test, the vocabulary book and translation all belong to an account. Signing up uses Google or a one-time email code.

Can the hints be in a language other than English?

Yes. The hint language is a setting, and you can change it any time; the open book is re-translated in place.

Sign up now