🎓 Students · Reading中文版
Read English faster, and understand more
Too many new words in a journal paper or a DSE reading passage? Try this simple routine: get the main idea first, look up only the key words, and review them so you remember.
How Dictionify helps with reading
See what a word means in that sentence
Double-click any word or phrase on any website. Dictionify reads the whole sentence and explains what the word means there, with a Chinese translation and IPA. For example, significant in a research report usually means "large enough to matter in the statistics", not just "important". Choose Simple for an easier explanation or Expert for more detail.
Summary before you read
Select a long passage and press Summary to see the key points in a few seconds. Once you know what the text is about, new words are much easier to guess. It also helps you decide quickly whether a source is useful for your project.
Word list and flashcards (Pro)
With Pro, every word you look up is saved with its sentence. Star the important ones, search your list, and review with flashcards. Spaced repetition brings back words just before you are likely to forget them.
DictionifyChrome extension
Stuck on a word while you research?
Double-click any word on any website. Dictionify reads the whole sentence and explains what the word means in that sentence, in plain English. Go Pro for unlimited lookups, Summary for long readings and Polish for your writing.
Add to Chrome- Pro: unlimited lookups
- Summary and Polish
- 7-day Pro trial
A reading routine
- Use Summary on the article or a long section to see the main idea and how it is organised.
- Read it once from start to finish. When you meet a new word, keep going and use the words around it.
- On the second reading, double-click only the words that block your understanding, such as words in the title, topic sentences and conclusion.
- Before you double-click, guess the meaning. Then check your guess. The words you guessed wrong are the ones to save.
- Save the important words to your word list (Pro) and review them with flashcards for a few minutes each day.
Common problems and how to fix them
ProblemThere are too many new words to keep reading
FixRead the Summary first. With the main idea in your head, you can guess many words from context. If a paragraph has more than ten new words, the text may be too hard for now. Read an easier article on the same topic first, then come back.
ProblemI look up every word, so reading takes forever
FixOn the first reading, do not look anything up. Just mark the words. Afterwards, look up only words that repeat, words in topic sentences, and words linked to your question. Many adjectives and adverbs can be skipped at first.
ProblemI know every word but still cannot follow a long sentence
FixFind the subject and the main verb first. Ignore the parts that start with which, that or although for a moment, and see what the core sentence says. If a phrase is the problem, like in light of, select the whole phrase and double-click it to see what it means in that sentence.
ProblemI forget everything after reading
FixAfter reading, write three key points in your own words, then compare them with the Summary. For new words, one lookup is not enough. You need to see a word several times over a few days. Flashcards (Pro) show the original sentence, so you remember where you met the word.
A weekly practice plan
15 minutes a day
Read one short news story or article. Guess first, then check, and look up five to eight key words at most. The free plan gives you 5 lookups a day, which is good practice in choosing the words that matter.
One long text a week
Choose a longer article or a paper abstract linked to your subject or project. Read the Summary, then read the text closely, then write a 50-word summary in English.
Before the exam
Review the words you have collected with flashcards (Pro), starting with your starred words. Do timed reading papers and practise reading the questions first, then finding the answers.
Pages to practise with
FAQ
How can I improve my English reading for exams?
Read every day, and read different kinds of text: news, opinion pieces, stories and explanations. Guess new words before you check them, and save the useful ones to review. In practice papers, read the questions first, then find the answers in the text, and keep to the time limit.
How do I read an academic paper in English?
Do not start at the first word. Read the abstract and conclusion first, use Summary on each section, then read closely only the parts linked to your topic. Double-click academic terms and choose Simple for an easy explanation.
Should I look up every word I do not know?
No. Too many lookups break your reading and you will not remember them. Finish the paragraph first and look up only the words you need to understand it. If a word keeps coming back, look it up then.
Does Dictionify work on PDFs?
Dictionify works on articles and papers on websites. PDFs opened in Chrome may not be supported, so open the HTML version of the article on the journal website where you can.