macOS floating word flashcards · local & offline

Learn words without making time.

HoverWord is a quiet glass pane that hovers on your desktop. While you work, code, or browse, it flashes words at the edge of your sight — glance once, and the memory quietly compounds.

macOS 14+ Free · No ads Local · Zero upload Works offline
巩固
gǒnggù
v. to strengthen; to consolidate
Floating flashcard · glance to remember
≤100MB
Memory (background)
≤100ms
Word switch latency
≤3s
Import a 10k-word library
0 deps
Pure system frameworks · zero deps
Two Modes

Two rhythms, both without breaking your flow.

Reinforce memory with feedback, or passively stream words — switch in a tap. Restarts cleanly whenever you change mode.

Memory feedback mode

See it, tap it.

Tap Know or Don't Know to drive the engine. Unanswered words reappear until you decide — memory you can actually track.

抱负KnowDon't know → next
Carousel mode

Nothing to tap at all.

Set a dwell time and words rotate at your pace, hands-free. Each Section loops a set number of rounds before advancing.

抱负 ⟶ 坚韧 ⟶ 微妙 ⋯
Liquid Glass

A glass pane that blends into your desktop.

Frameless, rounded, frosted and translucent — always on top, yet naturally low-key. It feels like part of your desktop, not an app window.

  • Drag freely · remembers position

    Place it anywhere; it remembers the screen and coordinates, across multiple displays.

  • Follows system dark / light

    The glass auto-matches your system appearance — clear by day, soft by night.

  • Auto hides in fullscreen

    Detects fullscreen apps and steps aside, then quietly returns once you exit.

抱负
n. ambition; aspiration

Offline pronunciation, in every voice.

Auto-plays on word switch; toggle US/UK accent and adjust pace. Each enabled language gets its own accent & voice — fully offline.

USUK

▶ Replay the current word anytime.

Import and export, freely.

Drop a UTF-8 TXT to import — auto-detects the language pair, validates, and reports errors down to the line. Export in one tap to take your library anywhere.

abandon /əˈbændən/ v. 放弃;遗弃 n. 放纵
ambition /æmˈbɪʃn/ n. 抱负;野心 v. 渴望
Multi-language

Any language pair, plus bilingual UI.

Import auto-detects the language pair, or set it manually; the UI follows your system or switches between English / Chinese.

中文 → EnglishFrançaisEspañolDeutschItalianoPortuguêsРусский日本語한국어Simplified ChineseTraditional Chinese
How it works

Three steps, from library to memory.

1

Import a library

Drop a TXT or build a wordbook; it auto-validates and splits into Sections.

2

Float silently

The window stays on top, flashing words at the rhythm and mode you set.

3

Glance to remember

No dedicated time needed — recall builds through high-frequency exposure in your work gaps.

Appearance

Your desktop, your look.

Three presets — light, dark, eye-care green — or customize background, opacity, size and font, with a live preview. Phonetics and meanings can also be set to reveal on hover: recall first, then verify.

巩固v. strengthen; consolidate

Light

Clear glass for bright desktops.

巩固v. strengthen; consolidate

Dark

Dark frost for night use.

巩固v. strengthen; consolidate

Eye-care green

Soft green to ease eye strain.

Transitions

Word switches, at your pace.

Nine transition effects from restrained to immersive — pick one and preview live in settings, so every switch feels just right.

Minimal

NoneClassic Fade

Playful

TypewriterBounce InCard Flip

Immersive

Page FlipLiquid MergeStellar Black HoleLetter Morph
FAQ

Questions you might have.

Is HoverWord free?

Yes. No in-app purchases, no subscription, no ads — every feature is fully unlocked.

Is my word data uploaded anywhere?

No. All libraries, progress and favorites stay on your Mac . Nothing is uploaded — it runs entirely local.

Does it need an internet connection?

No. Pronunciation uses the macOS system TTS engine, and libraries import and store locally — fully offline.

Which systems are supported?

macOS 14 (Sonoma) and later, on both Intel and Apple Silicon Macs.

How do I import a wordbook?

Prepare a UTF-8 TXT file, one entry per line, fields separated by tabs (word, phonetic, part of speech and meaning). It validates on import and reports exact line numbers for errors.

Which language pairs are supported?

Language-agnostic by design. Ship with Chinese learning English out of the box, and support English, French, Spanish, German, Japanese, Korean, Italian, Portuguese, Russian and more — any pair.

Make word-learning part of your desktop.

Local, offline, zero interruption. Install it now and let memory happen in the in-between moments.

Download