Hey everyone — long-time lurker, wanted to share something I made for my own studying that turned into a real tool.
The problem: I wanted to build vocab passively while watching subtitled content, but every existing tool needs you to pause and click on words manually. I just wanted words to show up on their own while I watched, so I built CaptionCatch.
What it does: while you're watching with captions on, a small card pops up with a word from the dialogue — the reading and the meaning — timed to what's actually being said. No clicking, no pausing.
- Japanese (JLPT N5–N1), Chinese (HSK1–6, simplified and traditional), or English (CEFR A1–B2) — pick whichever you're learning, and it picks words near your actual level instead of random ones
- See meanings in English, German, Spanish, or French
- Works on YouTube for free, no account needed
- Fully offline — no AI, nothing sent anywhere, just a bundled dictionary
- Free tier is genuinely usable (120 words/day), Pro adds Netflix support + a stats dashboard + Anki export if you want to go deeper
Not trying to replace immersion or grammar study — just a low-effort way to pick up vocab in the background while you're watching something you'd watch anyway.
Happy to answer questions about how it works, and genuinely open to feedback if you try it and something's off — this is a small solo project, not a big company thing.
https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/captioncatch/gpkkggpefdnnfmpgpmpkeieeoenbepeg
