Word Book

What Is the Word Book

The Word Book is your personal technical English vocabulary library. Whenever you click “Save” (the pin button) in a learning card, that expression is automatically saved to your Word Book.

Tip

The Word Book isn’t a passive collection — it’s a learning resource library you actively build. You can use it later to prepare for technical interviews, write blog posts, or do code reviews.

Local Storage + Optional Cloud Sync

Local Storage (Default)

DevGlish uses SwiftData to store the Word Book locally on your Mac:

• Fully offline — no network needed to access the Word Book
• Instant save — click save and it’s stored locally immediately, with no delay
• Privacy first — your learning data stays on your Mac only

Cloud Sync (Optional)

If you use multiple Macs or iPhones, enable cloud sync:

Settings → Word Book → Cloud Sync
  └─ Enable Sync: [Toggle ON]
     └─ Sync across devices using Cloudflare D1

Once enabled:

• Your Word Book automatically syncs to the DevGlish cloud
• Access the same Word Book on any signed-in device
• Conflict resolution uses timestamps (most recent edit wins)

Note

Cloud sync is optional. Your data is always under your control — you can turn it off or export at any time.

Four Sections of the Word Book

1. Browse

Open the DevGlish Word Book to see all saved expressions, sorted by save date (newest first):

Word Book (127 entries)

Recent
  └─ "Good catch" — saved 2 hours ago
  └─ "LGTM" — saved 1 day ago
  └─ "deque" — saved 3 days ago

All Words (by category)

Click any expression to replay pronunciation or view details.

2. Search

Quickly find previously learned expressions:

• By English — type “good” to find all expressions containing “good”
• By your language — type a term in your native language to see related English expressions
• By tag — if you tagged with “code-review,” search by tag for quick filtering

Search: "catch"
  ├─ Good catch
  ├─ Catch-all
  └─ Safety catch

3. Tags & Groups

Create your own tags to organize the Word Book:

Recommended Tags

• code-review — common code review expressions
• standup — standup and 1:1 meeting vocabulary
• technical-writing — PR and README writing
• interview-prep — technical interview preparation
• pronunciation — key pronunciation practice

Creating Groups

Settings → Word Book → Tags

+ New Tag
  └─ Name: "async/await"
     Color: Blue

Apply multiple tags to a single expression, then filter by tag when browsing.

4. Stats

The Word Book shows your learning progress:

Word Book Stats
  Total entries: 287
  This week: +12
  Tags: 8
  Average mastery: 4.2/5 (with Spaced Repetition)
  Review due today: 3

Batch Import

If you have an existing English expression list (from Anki, Quizlet, or a text file), you can import in bulk:

Supported Formats

Format	Example	Usage
CSV	Expression,Translation,Tags	Word Book → Import → Select CSV
TXT	One expression per line	Simplest, but no translations or tags
Paste	Paste text directly	Word Book → Import → Paste

Import Steps

1. Open the DevGlish Word Book
2. Click “Import”
3. Select a file or paste content
4. Preview the import (check formatting)
5. Click “Confirm Import”
6. Optional: add tags to the imported entries

CSV Format Example

Expression,Chinese,Tags
Good catch,Nice spot,code-review,praise
LGTM,Looks good to me,code-review,approval
Could you elaborate,Can you explain further,code-review,request
Ship it,Go ahead and release,code-review,approval

Tip

Even if you don’t have translations or tag lists, DevGlish will match from the learning card database for you.

Export Word Book

Export your Word Book as CSV at any time for use with other tools:

Word Book → Export → CSV

Generated file: DevLingo-WordBook-2024-04-06.csv
  Contains: All expressions, translations, tags, save dates, review stats

Use Cases

• Backup — export to your computer for permanent storage
• Notion — import into a Notion database as a personal knowledge base
• Anki — prepare for transfer to Anki (official support coming)
• Team sharing — export a shared code review expression library for your team

Integration with Spaced Repetition

If you’ve enabled spaced repetition (Pro), the Word Book automatically tracks review progress:

Word Book Entry

Expression: "Have you considered..."
  Saved: 2024-02-15

  Spaced Repetition Stats:
    Quality: 4/5 (Good)
    Interval: 7 days
    Next review: 2024-04-13
    Streak: 3 days ✓

Note

No need to manage reviews manually — DevGlish’s menu bar will remind you how many words are due for review today.

Organization Best Practices

Three Tags for Beginners

If you’re just starting out, you don’t need a complex tag system. These three are enough:

1. daily-use — expressions you can use at work immediately
2. aspiring — ones you want to master but are still learning
3. controversial — terms with multiple pronunciations or expression styles (e.g., nginx pronunciation, REST vs REST-API)

Interview Preparation

Preparing for a technical interview? Create an “interview-2024-q2” tag and focus on:

• Self-introduction phrases
• Algorithm explanation expressions
• Trade-off analysis language (“The tradeoff is…”)
• Technical term pronunciations (especially ones you commonly mispronounce)

Interview Prep Tag (28 entries)
  ├─ "Let me walk you through my approach"
  ├─ "The trade-off here is..."
  ├─ "nginx" [pronunciation]
  └─ ...

Code Review Library

Build a standard library for code review comments you write frequently:

code-review Tag (45 entries)
  ├─ Nit-picks: "Nit: could we use...", "Minor: consider..."
  ├─ Approval: "LGTM", "Looks good"
  ├─ Questions: "Could you elaborate...", "Have you considered..."
  └─ Requests: "We should probably...", "Nice catch"

Search tags when writing comments to quickly find the most appropriate phrasing.

Future Plans

Anki Sync (Roadmap)

Export the Word Book as an Anki deck for Anki’s more powerful spaced repetition:

Word Book → Export for Anki
  └─ Front: English expression + IPA
  └─ Back: Translation, usage example, pronunciation audio

Notion Integration (Roadmap)

Sync directly to a Notion database:

Settings → Integrations → Notion
  └─ Sync DevLingo Word Book to:
     https://notion.so/my-english-vocab

FAQ

Q: If I delete an entry from the Word Book, will it also be deleted from the cloud? A: Yes. If you have cloud sync enabled, the deletion syncs to all devices. To keep a pre-sync version, disable cloud sync first.

Q: Can I access the Word Book on iPhone? A: Currently Mac only. The iPhone version is under development.

Q: Is there a size limit for the Word Book? A: No. Local storage is limited only by your Mac’s storage space. Cloud sync has no hard limit on entries.

Q: How do I share the Word Book with my team? A: Export as CSV and share with teammates. They can import it into their own Word Books. Team library support is planned for the future.