Tipword
Language Reactor is a favourite of language learners. It adds a second subtitle line to Netflix and YouTube, lets you click words, and saves the ones you look up. It’s an extension for Chrome, though. If you use Safari, or watch outside the browser, you need something else.
Is there a Language Reactor for Safari?
No. Language Reactor is published on the Chrome Web Store, and there is no Safari version. Learners have asked for one on its own forum. You can install Chrome just for Language Reactor, or use a tool that works in Safari.
Options for Safari and Mac users
| Option | Works in | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Language Reactor in Chrome | Chrome | Dual subtitles, clickable words, saved words |
| Safari subtitle extensions | Safari, on supported sites | Dual subtitles or word lookups, depending on the extension |
| Tipword | Safari, other browsers and most apps | Point at a word to see its meaning, and the sentence’s |
Several newer extensions advertise Safari support. Check their current list of supported sites before paying, since streaming sites change often.
How Tipword fits
Tipword isn’t a browser extension. It reads the word under your pointer from the screen, so it doesn’t depend on a particular site or browser. Pause the video, hold ⌥ Option and point at a word in the subtitle. Its meaning appears beside it, with the meaning of the whole line underneath, idioms included.
Because it isn’t tied to video, the same key works when you read news, PDFs and chats in the language you’re learning. More in how to translate subtitles word by word.
Looking up a subtitle word in Safari
- Turn on subtitles in the language you’re learning.
- When a line has a word you don’t know, pause.
- Hold ⌥ Option and point at the word. Its meaning appears beside it, and the whole line’s meaning underneath.
- Let go and press play.
If a subtitle word isn’t picked up, turn on Screen Recording for Tipword in System Settings › Privacy & Security. Tipword then reads the word from the picture, on your Mac.
What Tipword doesn’t do
- No second subtitle line. You see one word, and its sentence, when you ask.
- No saved word list or flashcards.
- No playback controls such as repeating a line.
- It doesn’t work in Apple’s TV app or QuickTime Player, which play protected video.
If those features matter most, Language Reactor in Chrome is the better tool. Many learners use both.
Which to choose
- Language Reactor if you study one show line by line, want dual subtitles and saved words, and don’t mind Chrome.
- Tipword if you watch in Safari, want one language on screen, and want the same lookups in PDFs, websites and chats.
Learning a language on your Mac more broadly? See learning a language by reading on your Mac.
Questions
Does Language Reactor work in Safari?
No. It’s a Chrome extension, and there’s no Safari version.
Does Tipword show dual subtitles?
No. It shows the meaning of the word you point at, and of its sentence, beside the word.
Can I use both?
Yes. Many learners use Language Reactor in Chrome and Tipword everywhere else.
Can I try Tipword?
Buy it for $12 and, if it’s not for you within 14 days, you get a full refund.