Word Wise for the books Kindle leaves out
Word Wise is one of the best ideas in e-reading: a short hint above the more difficult words, and nothing above the easy ones. The catch is where it works. Amazon says Word Wise is only available in books in English, and is not enabled on all Kindle books.
Solaread is a reader built around the same idea, for the files you already have.
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.
What Solaread does
You import an EPUB, TXT or PDF. Solaread predicts which words you probably do not know and puts a short translation right after each one, inside the line. The words you already know are left alone.
- Tuned to you. A vocabulary test of about 30 seconds sets your level. As you read, save words or mark them known, and the hints adjust. As your vocabulary grows, you see fewer of them.
- Your own files. EPUB, TXT and PDF. PDF papers are turned into readable text, scanned pages included.
- More than English. Books can be in English, French or Spanish today.
- Hints in your language. English, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, French, German, Vietnamese, Spanish and Portuguese are one click away, and you can search for others in Settings.
- Missed a word? Double-click it. The translation appears, and you can save it. A saved word keeps its gloss under the line when you reread the passage.
- Runs in your browser. Nothing to install.
Word Wise and Solaread side by side
| Kindle Word Wise | Solaread | |
|---|---|---|
| What you see | Simple definitions and synonyms above more difficult words | A short translation after the word, in the language you choose |
| Which words get a hint | More difficult words | The words Solaread predicts you do not know, from your vocabulary test and your reading |
| Which books | Kindle books with Word Wise enabled | Your own EPUB, TXT and PDF files |
| Book languages | English | English, French, Spanish |
| Where it runs | Fire tablets, Kindle e-readers, Kindle for Android | A web browser: Chrome, Edge, Safari or Firefox |
Word Wise details are from Amazon's help page "What is Word Wise?", checked on October 8, 2026.
When Word Wise is all you need
If the English Kindle book you are reading has Word Wise enabled, you already have hints, right on your Kindle. Solaread does not replace that. It is for what Word Wise does not cover: files you bring yourself, PDFs, French and Spanish books, and hints in your own language.
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 and far more translation each month. The allowance is larger, not unlimited.
Questions
Can I read a Kindle book in Solaread?
Only if you have it as an EPUB, TXT or PDF file that you are allowed to use. Solaread does not remove copy protection.
Do I have to install anything?
No. Solaread runs in Chrome, Edge, Safari and Firefox.
Does it work for PDF research papers?
Yes. PDF import is part of Scholar Plus, and scanned pages are recognized.