Tips for Faster, More Accurate Results
Quick start: Skim the 6 tips below. Drop your own short video or annotated screenshots in the Tutorials section so learners see exactly what to click.
Preload images by pre-clicking words
When you click a word before you need it, we begin fetching candidate images in the background so that when you open the card later, there’s little (or nothing) left to load.
- Best for drills: Pre-click the next 5–10 words in your list.
- Visual cue: You’ll often notice a shorter spinner or an instant render after pre-clicking.
- No double charge: Words you’ve already pre-clicked or opened won’t deduct quota again when you view them later.
Heads-up: Pre-clicking uses your quota — one charge per word you pre-click. It warms the image cache so cards open faster. Re-opening the same word later does not deduct quota again.
Two-word prompts & AI fallback
Two-word phrases show up in two ways:
- Your prompt: describing with two words or more usually improves precision (e.g., “golden retriever”, “ancient temple”).
- Automatic fallback (Pro+): if a term isn’t in Visual Lexicon, we may compose a simple two-word phrase that best illustrates it (e.g., inward → “inner self”) and show two matching images.
- When it triggers: after we fail to find a direct match or alias for the word.
- Availability: Pro and higher only. Free/Basic users see the standard alternatives instead.
- Quota: it counts once when generated; re-opening the same word later does not deduct quota again.
- Want a full gallery? If the fallback is helpful and you need a full Visual Lexicon gallery for that term, submit a request on Pro; we’ll consider it for a future update.
AI image matching isn’t perfect
Our AI-based matching tries hard to find the clearest image for your term, but perfect matches aren’t guaranteed. Lighting, angles, or uncommon senses of a word can throw it off.
- If it looks off: Try a longer phrase, or swap in a more specific synonym.
- When teaching: Keep a backup image in mind, or quickly re-roll candidates.
- Report: Use the feedback icon on a card to flag mismatches; it trains the system over time.
For stable performance, consider Pro
Pro prioritizes throughput for heavy sessions and classes. If you regularly work with batches, or need consistent load times during lessons, upgrading helps maintain headroom during peak hours.
- Compare plans — features and limits are listed and may change.
- Teams/Schools: Ask about shared quotas and centralized billing.
Language changes apply translation (uses quota)
When you click another language, translation is applied automatically for UI text and captions, and this uses your quota.
- Tip: Set your default study language once, then only toggle when necessary.
- Plan ahead: If you expect many language switches in a lesson, consider Pro to avoid interruptions.
Turn features off (top-right button)
Need a simpler interface or to preserve quota? Use the top-right toggle (gear or switch icon) to disable extras like live AI suggestions or high-resolution previews.
- Good defaults: Keep high-res previews off on slow networks; re-enable only when presenting.
- Accessibility: Reduce animation if you’re sensitive to motion.
Tutorials: video & image
Drop in your quick screencasts and annotated images below. Everything is responsive and accessible by default.
Use on iPad/iPhone (Orion)
You can use Visual Lexicon on iPad/iPhone with the Orion browser, which supports installing select Chrome/Firefox web extensions on iOS.
- Install Orion from the App Store on your iPad/iPhone.
- Open Orion ➝ Menu ▸ Extensions (or Settings ▸ Extensions) ➝ tap Get more extensions to open the Chrome Web Store.
- Search for “Visual Lexicon” and tap Add to Chrome, then confirm Add extension.
- Back in Orion, make sure the extension is enabled in Menu ▸ Extensions.
Heads-up (iOS): Extension support on Orion iOS is still evolving and only select extensions are available. If the store says “not supported,” turn on Request Desktop Site for the tab and try again, or open the store via Orion’s Extensions screen. Performance can vary by device.
- Troubleshooting: If the button doesn’t appear, reload the page, sign in to the Chrome Web Store, or re-open it from Menu ▸ Extensions. After installation, you may need to grant site access the first time you use the extension.
FAQ
- Does pre-clicking use my quota? Yes — pre-clicking uses a small amount of your quota and makes the card load faster when you open the card.
- What counts against my quota? Full lookups, pre-clicking, and high-res previews. Changing languages automatically translates UI/captions and uses quota.
- If I open the same word again, is my quota deducted again? No — once you’ve opened a word, viewing it again does not deduct your quota.
- How do I report a mismatch? Click the feedback icon on any card and select the closest reason.
- I can’t sign in. What should I do? Make sure the “I agree” checkbox is selected — you must agree to continue.
- The extension stopped working. Click refresh to reload the page. If it persists, sign out and back in, and confirm the extension has the required permissions.
- Why doesn’t Text-to-Speech (TTS) work on some platforms? On certain platforms (e.g., ChatGPT), TTS isn’t available yet — we’re actively working on a fix.
- Why doesn’t “See full gallery” open? If Visual Lexicon doesn’t yet have a gallery for that word, the link is disabled. On Pro or higher, you can request the gallery; once it’s reviewed and added in a future update, the link will work.
