Welcome to Voc!

Voc is a minimalist and efficient tool designed to help you expand your vocabulary in any language you are learning.

I. Key Features

  • Any-to-Any Language Learning: Voc is not tied to a specific language. You can study words and phrases in any language pair, fully customized to your needs.
  • Your Vocabulary, Your Control: Your word lists are stored in simple, portable text files, giving you full ownership and management of your data.

II. Installation

There are two versions of Voc available:

  • Mac App Store Version: Distributed through the Mac App Store. macOS downloads and installs the app automatically.
  • Direct Download Version: Available as a standalone Voc.dmg download from our website. Open the DMG file and drag Voc to your Applications folder or another directory (such as ~/Desktop/Voc).
    • Note: Automatic updates are currently not supported for this version. Please check our website periodically for the latest updates.

III. Creating a Dictionary

  • File Format: Dictionaries must be saved as plain-text files using UTF-8 encoding with LF line endings (avoid CR or CRLF formats).
  • Creating a New Dictionary: Click the New dictionary icon button on the main window's toolbar to generate a template. This opens a standard macOS Save As dialog. You can rename the default "Dictionary-template". The .txt extension will be appended automatically, even if it is hidden in the dialog.
  • Storage: On the first launch, the save dialog defaults to your Documents folder. We highly recommend creating a dedicated folder for all your word lists (e.g., ~/Desktop/Voc/Dictionaries).
  • Permissions: If macOS asks for permission to access your selected folder, click Allow.

IV. Editing a Dictionary

  • Adding Content: Open your newly created Dictionary-template.txt file using the built-in macOS TextEdit app. The template includes three sample entries:
     Ich liebe dich=Te amo
     Ich vertraue dir=Confío en ti
     Ich glaube an dich=Creo en ti
  • Entry Format: Add your words or phrases using the simple format: phrase=translation
  • Customizing: Replace the existing samples with your own vocabulary. Ensure there are no extra spaces around the = sign unless they are part of the phrase.

V. Opening a Dictionary

There are several ways to load a dictionary into Voc:

  • Toolbar Button: Click the Open dictionary icon button on the toolbar to open the file selection dialog. Please note that only .txt files are supported.
  • Drag & Drop to App Icon: Drag your dictionary file and drop it onto the Voc icon in the Dock or in the Finder (e.g., on your Desktop or in the Applications folder).
  • Drag & Drop to Window: Drag your dictionary file directly onto an active Voc window.
  • Recent Files: Access your recently used dictionaries via File > Open Recent in the macOS menu bar.
  • Auto-Load on Startup: Automatically reloads your last used dictionary every time you launch the app.

VI. Learning Method

  • Word Count: Once a dictionary is loaded, the total number of entries is displayed in the upper-right corner of the window.
  • Testing: The first word or phrase appears in the main workspace. Recall the translation and click the "Check" button to verify.
  • Difficult Words: If you cannot remember the answer, click "Unknown". This temporarily flags the word for a review session.
  • Navigation: Click the "Next" button to move to the following entry.
  • Completion: After successfully finishing your study session, an encouraging proverb will be displayed.
  • Review Sessions: If you marked any words as "Unknown" during the session, the app will ask: "Would you like to repeat unknown words?"
    • "OK": Restarts the session using only the words you missed.
    • "Cancel": Restarts the session with the full dictionary.
  • Diff-Files: Difficult words are saved into a separate file appended with -diff (e.g., YourDictionary-diff.txt).
    • Direct Download Version: The diff-file is created automatically in the background.
    • Mac App Store Version: Due to macOS sandboxing, you will be prompted to choose a location to save the diff-file via a standard dialog.
  • Settings: You can disable diff-file creation using the Settings icon toolbar button. These files are perfect for focused practice or for creating new, targeted dictionaries.
  • Language Swap: Click the Swap icon toolbar button at any time to reverse the study direction (e.g., from translation back to the original word).

VII. Version Comparison

Due to macOS security sandboxing restrictions, the Mac App Store Version has one specific behavioral differences:

  • Saving diff-files requires manual confirmation via a standard macOS save dialog.

For a fully featured experience without this platform restriction, please use the Direct Download Version: Voc.dmg