Tipword
Most learners hit the same wall: the course is fine, but real French, in news, chats and shows, is full of words you haven’t met. Looking each one up breaks your flow, so you stop reading. The fix is to make looking up a word take one second.
Read what you already read, in French
Switch one daily habit to French: the news you check in the morning, a recipe blog, a series with French subtitles. Pick something you’d read anyway, so you keep coming back.
Look words up without leaving the page
With Tipword, hold ⌥ Option and point at a word. Its English meaning appears right beside it, then goes away. No typing, no new tab, so you keep reading in French.
Watch out for false friends
French is full of words that look like English but aren’t: librairie is a bookshop, not a library, and actuellement means currently, not actually. Point at a word that looks familiar but doesn’t fit, and you’ll catch them early.
Questions
Is French free?
Yes, on macOS 15 or later: French translates on your Mac with Apple, so there’s no key and nothing extra to pay.
Does it work with French subtitles?
Yes. Pause the video, hold ⌥ and point at the word in the subtitle.