Wordy – Learn languages from real movie and TV clips with quizzes

Name: Wordy – Learn languages from real movie and TV clips with quizzes
Availability: InStock
Author: sandorb

by sandorb·Feb 21, 2026·1 point·0 comments

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AI Analysis

●●SolidSolve My ProblemCrowd Pleaser

Entertainment-based learning with spaced repetition, but Duolingo, LingQ, and Babbel own this space.

Strengths

•300K+ users and 4.8/5 rating suggest genuine retention—context-based vocabulary from real dialogue beats flashcard decks.
•Cross-platform execution (iOS, Android, Chrome extension) with Netflix/YouTube dual subtitles is non-trivial.
•Personalized learning paths + spaced repetition show thoughtful pedagogy beyond "watch and translate."

Weaknesses

•Language learning via media is proven category—Babbel, LingQ, Netflix's interactive mode already compete heavily.
•No evidence of unique learning methodology or superior outcomes vs. established tools with larger content libraries.

Post Description

Hey HN, I'm Sándor. I built Wordy because I kept pausing Netflix to look up words in a dictionary. So I made a subtitle tool for myself, and it kind of snowballed from there.

What it does: You watch short clips from real movies and TV shows, then get quizzed on the vocabulary you just heard. The app tracks every word automatically and adapts to your level. 20+ languages.

How it evolved: Started as an iOS app for interactive streaming subtitles. Then I added curated video clips with quizzes. Then vocabulary tracking, spaced repetition, and personalized learning paths. Now it's iOS + Android + a Chrome extension (dual subtitles for Netflix and YouTube).

The whole thing is a solo project. Along the way it won a $30K prize at Hungary's biggest startup competition, which gave me the push to go full-time on it.

Stack: Swift (iOS), Kotlin (Android), Chrome extension.

Would love to hear what you think, especially from anyone who's tried learning a language from media before. What worked? What didn't?