What is DevGlish?
DevGlish is a macOS menu bar app designed for non-native English speaking developers. It integrates AI-powered English learning into your daily development workflow, enabling you to quickly look up and learn English expressions without leaving your code editor, chat app, or browser.
30-Second Overview
Section titled “30-Second Overview”Select any English word or sentence → Press ⌘⇧D → Get a professional learning card: standard pronunciation (IPA), usage examples, synonyms, grammar tips, and an explanation of “how to say this idiomatically in English”.
Three Core Scenarios
Section titled “Three Core Scenarios”1. Reading Code Comments & Documentation
Section titled “1. Reading Code Comments & Documentation”You encounter unfamiliar technical terms (like asynchronous, idempotent, ephemeral) and want to understand their precise meaning and pronunciation in seconds. DevGlish provides a library of 85+ common technical terms with accurate IPA transcriptions and real-world usage.
2. Writing Code Review Comments
Section titled “2. Writing Code Review Comments”When writing PR comments, you want to confirm “is this expression natural and accurate in English?” For example, should you use improve the performance, optimize the performance, or boost the performance? DevGlish helps you make the best choice through example sentences and collocation tips.
3. Learning Technical Expressions & Pronunciation
Section titled “3. Learning Technical Expressions & Pronunciation”How should technical terms be pronounced to sound professional in international meetings and code reviews? DevGlish not only tells you the standard pronunciation (with audio) but also points out common L1 interference patterns (e.g., database often gets pronounced with native language phonetics) and provides corrections.
How DevGlish Differs from Other Tools
Section titled “How DevGlish Differs from Other Tools”| Tool | Goal | Use Case |
|---|---|---|
| Duolingo | Systematic language learning | Scheduled practice exercises |
| Grammarly | Real-time grammar & style checking | Correcting errors while writing emails or docs |
| DevGlish | Quick lookup + contextual learning | Encountering unfamiliar words in code, PRs, or chat |
What makes DevGlish unique:
- Developer-optimized: 85+ tech terms, L1 interference detection (Chinglish, Japanglish, Konglish, etc.)
- Zero-interruption: Global hotkey, answers in 3 seconds, no workflow disruption
- Pronunciation-first: Every lookup includes audio to help you pronounce correctly
- Contextual learning: Not isolated words, but a combination of example sentences, collocations, and synonyms to help you understand how to naturally use the word
Get Started
Section titled “Get Started”Ready? Head to Installation & Setup to get DevGlish, or read 3-Minute Quick Start to see how it works.