Saving words
How to save a word, a phrase or a whole subtitle line to your PlayLingo vocabulary while you watch, and what a saved card contains.
Everything you save while watching goes to the Vocabulary tab together with the moment in the video where you met it. Later it comes back in practice.
How to save a word
- While a video plays, tap a word in the subtitles.
- The explanation panel opens with the meaning in this context.
- Tap the save icon in the panel. You’ll see Added to Vocabulary, and the icon changes to a checkmark.
Tap the icon again to remove the entry from your vocabulary.
Save a phrase
- Press and hold a word in the subtitles.
- Drag across the other words of the phrase.
- Save the selection from the panel that opens.
Idioms and set expressions are stored as phrases, so they appear on the Phrases tab.
Save a whole sentence
Tap the save icon under the line you’re hearing (Save sentence). The entire line goes to the Sentences tab. Tap it again to remove the line.
What a saved card contains
- the word, phrase or sentence itself;
- its translation;
- the original line from the video, for words and phrases;
- a clip of the video moment where you saved it;
- for words and phrases: pronunciation, part of speech and level, when available.
PlayLingo decides by itself whether an entry is a word, a phrase or a sentence. You can fix the text or translation later — see Editing and deleting words.
Free or Pro
Saving words is free and unlimited. Explanations use energy on the free plan — see Free and Pro.
Common questions
Do I need an account to save words?
No. Vocabulary works without signing in. Sign in to keep your words when you change phones and to sync them between devices — see Account and sign in.
Where do saved words appear?
In the Vocabulary tab, and highlighted in subtitles of other videos. See Vocabulary screen.
My vocabulary is empty. How do I start?
Save your first word from a video, or tap Add 6 Random Words on the empty Vocabulary screen to get a starter set for your language.
Related guides
- Word explanationsTap any word or select a phrase in the subtitles, and Lingo explains what it means in this exact sentence — then save it to review later.
- Vocabulary screenWhat you see in the PlayLingo Vocabulary tab — tabs, decks by video or channel, Fresh, Tricky and Almost known collections, search and word cards.
- How practice worksWords you save in PlayLingo come back as flashcards with the video clip, scheduled by FSRS — the spaced-repetition algorithm used in Anki.
- Account and sign inHow to sign in to PlayLingo with Apple or Google, use the app without an account, see your devices and what happens when you log out.