When you’re trying to enjoy a book or help your child study, nothing is more frustrating than having to repeatedly flip through the dictionary to find definitions for unfamiliar words. The reading process becomes tedious and slow instead of engaging and insightful. This is where Kindle’s Word Wise feature can come in handy. Kindle includes reading tools, such as Word Wise that help you learn while you read. Word Wise shows short, simple hints for harder words. Vocabulary Builder keeps a list of words you looked up so you can review them later.
What Is Kindle Word Wise?
Word Wise is a reading aid that displays short definitions above challenging words in supported Kindle books. It is especially helpful for language learners and faster comprehension.
How to Use Word Wise on a Kindle eReader
In a supported Kindle book, you can typically enable Word Wise like this:
- Open the book you are reading
- Tap near the top of the screen to open the reading toolbar
- Tap the Aa (Display) menu
- Select More
- Scroll to Word Wise and toggle it On or Off
Official Amazon guidance: What is Word Wise?
Word Wise can be enabled on most Kindle devices and Kindle reading apps, including the following:
- Fire tablets (3rd generation and above)
- Kindle eReaders (6th generation and above)
- Kindle App for Android
- Kindle App for Samsung
Word Wise is not available on the Kindle iOS app. If you’re unable to find the Word Wise setting on your device, make sure that your software version is up to date.
How to Find Word Wise Enabled Books
On the Kindle Store, simply go to the Word Wise Enabled page to view all available content. From here, you can either use the search bar to find relevant books or filter your results by age range, customer rating, or new releases. At the time of writing this blog post, there are over 70,000 titles that support Word Wise, so you’re sure to find something you or your child will love!
What Is Kindle Vocabulary Builder?
Vocabulary Builder saves words you look up in the dictionary and turns them into a study list with flashcards. Vocabulary Builder is available on many Kindle eReaders. Availability can vary by device and region.
How to Use Vocabulary Builder on a Kindle eReader
Here is the typical flow:
- While reading, tap and hold a word, then select the dictionary definition
- Keep reading normally. Kindle stores your looked-up words automatically
- From the Home screen or Library, open Vocabulary Builder (it may appear as a book-like item)
- Review your word list and use flashcards to practice
Tips for Getting the Most Value from These Tools
- Use Word Wise only when needed so your page stays uncluttered
- Look up words in-context, then confirm meaning with example sentences
- Review your Vocabulary Builder list weekly so words stick long-term
If you cannot find the Vocabulary Builder item on your device, start by checking your Kindle Library and make sure your Kindle software is up to date.
Looking for free Kindle books that support Word Wise? Check the book’s product details and look for language-learning features.
