# Explain Selected

According to OpenAITools.app telemetry verified on 2026-11-11, Explain Selected (chromewebstore.google.com) is an AI platform indexed under AI Answer generating 0 monthly visits with a month-over-month traffic delta of +0 (0.0%). Its primary geographic market is Global (— traffic share), and it operates on a Free pricing model. Top competing alternatives by monthly volume include CastReader (56K visits/mo), Clearly Reader (10.35K visits/mo), Language Reactor (1.88M visits/mo).

Highlight any text, get the right definition and a plain-language explanation

## Key Telemetry & Specifications

| Metric | Value |
| :--- | :--- |
| Tool Name | Explain Selected |
| Handle | explain-selected |
| Status | active |
| Origin | independent |
| Maintenance | active |
| Official Domain | chromewebstore.google.com |
| Website URL | https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/explain-selected/mgdagfcgfpcglofdkfgaajafcmniddcc |
| Categories | AI Answer, AI Reader, AI Assistant, AI Language Learning, AI Text-to-Speech, Large Language Models (LLMs) |
| Pricing Model | Free |
| Monthly Visits | 0 |
| MoM Traffic Change | 0 |
| MoM Growth Rate | — |
| Primary Market | Global |
| Market Share | — |
| Direct Visits | 0 |
| Organic Search Visits | 0 |
| Social Visits | 0 |
| Referral Visits | 0 |
| Email Visits | 0 |
| Review Score | 3.8 |
| Saved Count | 1 |
| Supported Platforms | Browser Extension |
| Billing Platforms |  |
| Attributes | Features: Browser Extension; Pricing: Free |
| Tags | Dictionary, Definition, Pronunciation, Contextual disambiguation, Browser extension, ChatGPT, Vocabulary, Learning, Education |

## Overview

Explain Selected is a lightweight Chrome extension that removes the friction from looking up unfamiliar words while you read. Instead of opening a dictionary tab and scanning through a dozen senses to find the one that fits, you highlight the word or phrase in place and a purple circle appears. One click gives you the definition, the pronunciation and a plain-language explanation written for that specific context.

The distinguishing feature is contextual disambiguation. English is full of words whose meanings have almost nothing to do with each other — the extension's own example is "pounds", which can mean a unit of weight, a verb describing hitting something, or the British currency. Rather than presenting all three blindly, Explain Selected passes the surrounding sentence to ChatGPT and asks it to infer which sense is actually in play, then retrieves the corresponding Merriam-Webster entry and audio pronunciation. It also handles text that no dictionary covers well, such as current slang and narrow technical terminology.

It is aimed at people who read a lot of English online and want to keep their flow: language learners building vocabulary, professionals working through technical documents, and anyone who keeps encountering words with multiple meanings. Useful selections can be saved to a personal list for later memorization, or shared. Two practical caveats from the listing: extensions do not run in tabs that were already open when you installed it, so refresh those tabs first, and no extension works on Chrome internal pages such as the Chrome Web Store itself.

## Pricing & Plans

Free. The extension is offered at no cost in the Chrome Web Store, with no in-app purchases listed.

## Key Features & Capabilities

- **Context-aware definitions:** ChatGPT infers which sense of a word fits the sentence you highlighted, instead of dumping every dictionary entry at once.
- **Merriam-Webster definitions and audio:** Matching dictionary entries and audio pronunciation are pulled in so you can hear as well as read the word.
- **One-click purple circle:** Select text and click the purple circle that appears — no popup windows, no copy-pasting into a separate tab.
- **Personal saved list:** Add words you want to remember to a personal list so you can review them later.
- **Share with others:** Send individual explanations to friends when a word or phrase is worth passing on.

## Primary Use Cases

- **Build vocabulary while reading (English learner):** Highlight unfamiliar words while reading articles or books online, hear the pronunciation, and save the ones worth memorizing to a personal list.
- **Decode technical terminology (Engineer or analyst):** Select jargon, acronyms or niche terms in technical documentation and get an explanation in plain language rather than a generic dictionary definition.
- **Understand slang and idioms (Student):** Look up slang and idioms whose meaning is not in standard dictionaries and share the explanation with a classmate.
- **Bridge language gaps at work (International team member):** Explain English terms and phrases to colleagues who are reading the same material, without leaving the page or opening a dictionary.

## Strengths

- Resolves ambiguous words by using the surrounding sentence rather than guessing
- Combines AI explanations with established Merriam-Webster definitions and audio
- Works inline on any web page with a single click and no context switching
- Saving and sharing selections make it useful for building vocabulary over time

## Frequently Asked Questions

### How do I use Explain Selected?
Select any word or phrase on a web page, then click the purple circle that appears. The extension shows the relevant definition, pronunciation and a personalized explanation.

### Why is this better than a normal dictionary lookup?
Most dictionaries list every possible sense of a word. Explain Selected uses contextual disambiguation to infer which meaning actually applies to the sentence you highlighted, which matters for words with several unrelated senses.

### Can I save explanations for later?
Yes. You can save selections to a personal list for later memorization, and you can also share selections with other people.

### Is it really free?
The extension is listed as free on the Chrome Web Store with no in-app purchases shown. It was developed by an individual developer rather than a company.

### What is Explain Selected's monthly traffic and growth trend?
Explain Selected currently receives 0 monthly visits, with a month-over-month traffic change of +0 (0.0% growth rate). Its primary source market is Global (— share), including 0 direct visits/mo and 0 organic search visits/mo.

### Is Explain Selected free? What is its pricing model?
Explain Selected operates on a Free pricing model. Free. The extension is offered at no cost in the Chrome Web Store, with no in-app purchases listed. Supported billing and checkout platforms include: not listed.

### What are the best Explain Selected alternatives in 2026?
Based on OpenAITools.app category traffic and feature fit, the top five alternatives to Explain Selected are: 1. CastReader (56K visits/mo); 2. Clearly Reader (10.35K visits/mo); 3. Language Reactor (1.88M visits/mo); 4. GPT Reader & Transcriber (30K visits/mo); 5. Ddict (32.15K visits/mo).

### Which platforms and core AI capabilities does Explain Selected support?
Explain Selected is classified under AI Answer, AI Reader, AI Assistant, AI Language Learning, supports the following platforms: Browser Extension, and its core capability tags include: Dictionary, Definition, Pronunciation, Contextual disambiguation, Browser extension, ChatGPT.

## Alternatives

| Tool Name | Monthly Visits | Pricing Model | Compare |
| :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- |
| [CastReader](https://openaitools.app/tool/castreader) | 55,999 | Freemium | [Compare](https://openaitools.app/compare/castreader-vs-explain-selected) |
| [Clearly Reader](https://openaitools.app/tool/clearlyreader-com) | 10,350 | Freemium | [Compare](https://openaitools.app/compare/clearlyreader-com-vs-explain-selected) |
| [Language Reactor](https://openaitools.app/tool/language-reactor) | 1,878,769 | Freemium | [Compare](https://openaitools.app/compare/explain-selected-vs-language-reactor) |
| [GPT Reader & Transcriber](https://openaitools.app/tool/gpt-reader-a-free-ai-text-to-speech) | 29,995 | Free | [Compare](https://openaitools.app/compare/explain-selected-vs-gpt-reader-a-free-ai-text-to-speech) |
| [Ddict](https://openaitools.app/tool/ddict) | 32,146 | Freemium | [Compare](https://openaitools.app/compare/ddict-vs-explain-selected) |
| [Instant Multilingual PDF/HTML/TXT Dictionary](https://openaitools.app/tool/instant-multilingual-pdf-html-txt-dictionary) | 0 | Free | [Compare](https://openaitools.app/compare/explain-selected-vs-instant-multilingual-pdf-html-txt-dictionary) |
| [ExplainTXT: AI Reading Assistant](https://openaitools.app/tool/explaintxt-ai-reading-assistant) | 0 | Freemium | [Compare](https://openaitools.app/compare/explain-selected-vs-explaintxt-ai-reading-assistant) |
| [Dr. Read](https://openaitools.app/tool/dr-read) | 0 | Free | [Compare](https://openaitools.app/compare/dr-read-vs-explain-selected) |
| [Lexsee - AI Language and Reading Companion](https://openaitools.app/tool/lexsee-dyslexia-reading-companion) | 0 | Freemium | [Compare](https://openaitools.app/compare/explain-selected-vs-lexsee-dyslexia-reading-companion) |
| [Quiz Solver AI](https://openaitools.app/tool/quiz-solver-ai) | 35,177 | Freemium, Paid | [Compare](https://openaitools.app/compare/explain-selected-vs-quiz-solver-ai) |
| [ExplainPaper](https://openaitools.app/tool/explainpaper) | 26,016 | Freemium | [Compare](https://openaitools.app/compare/explain-selected-vs-explainpaper) |
| [Voice Out](https://openaitools.app/tool/voice-out) | 39,679 | Freemium | [Compare](https://openaitools.app/compare/explain-selected-vs-voice-out) |

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Source: https://openaitools.app/tool/explain-selected