About Subglish

Subglish is for people who know a language at a basic level and got stuck: the textbooks are done, yet real speech comes through one word in two. Paste a link to a YouTube video you find interesting anyway: the service hides the 5,000 most frequent words and shows only the ones worth learning, with translation, pronunciation and an example. Then spaced repetition brings these words back until they stick.

The idea

  • Your own content instead of lessons. You learn from what interests you: interviews, lectures, series, blogs. No made-up dialogues or drills.
  • Only the words worth learning. The most frequent words are hidden, so the service is made for the intermediate level (B1+). A beginner needs grammar and basic vocabulary first, and other tools do that better.
  • Remember, not just watch. A word goes into your dictionary together with the subtitle fragment where you heard it, and spaced repetition brings it back on schedule. There are no email reminders on purpose: a language sticks through the habit of opening the dictionary every day, not through newsletters.

Where it comes from

  • 2023 — a tool for personal use: real content was needed instead of textbook drills. The name comes from Subtitles + English.
  • 2024 — eight languages to learn, each on its own site; an Android app on Google Play; a YouTube audit and extended access to the YouTube API.
  • 2026 — AI word cards with translation, pronunciation, definition and examples; the PRO subscription, one for all languages.

Where it is going

Next come an iPhone app and new languages to learn. The goal stays the same: anyone at the intermediate level should be able to learn from any video they find interesting.

Author

Ruslan Novikov

Ruslan Novikov, web developer with 19 years of experience and a Master's in Computer Science, author of Subglish. Previously founded a web agency, an e-commerce startup and a hosting company.

“I built Subglish in 2023 because existing tools didn't work for me: I needed real content, not synthetic exercises. Now I use it daily and ship updates every month.”

The author’s site: novikov.ua

Subglish for other languages

Contacts

Seller: FOP Khilinska Olha Viktorivna, individual entrepreneur registered in Ukraine.

Questions about the service, your account or a payment: [email protected]