Visual English vocab app / iOS

The words you've learned,
ready the moment you need them.

Speak without stumbling, watch without subtitles. This is living, everyday English for real conversation — not test prep.
All 8,000 words come with an image, and every feature is free to try.

Get it on the App Store

No sign-in. Open and go.

A pictan study card for “autumn,” showing a forest of fall leaves, a plain-English definition, and an example sentence.

An image made for every single word

For each of the 8,000 words there's an original image meant for that word alone. A word you meet alongside its image lodges far deeper in memory than one you only read — which is why no word here goes without one.

A study card for “shiny,” with a photo of a glossy red car hood catching the light beside a plain-English definition and an example sentence.
A study card for “donkey,” with a photo of a donkey on a hillside path beside a plain-English definition and an example sentence.

Tap a word you don't know, and its picture appears.

Definitions are written in plain English, yet an unknown word can still slip in. When it does, a single tap is all you need: the image supplies the meaning on the spot, with no trip to a dictionary.

A study card for “squirrel,” with a plain-English definition and example; each word carries a small dot marking it as tappable.

Every word in the explanation can be tapped

The card's headword “squirrel” carries its large image; every word in the definition “a small furry animal with a big tail that lives in trees” — and in the example sentence too — carries a small dot marking it as tappable. If “furry” still feels unfamiliar, give it a tap.

Right after tapping “furry”: a popup opens with an image of a soft-furred animal, the part of speech, and the meaning.

That word's image opens at once

Tap “furry” and a popup appears with an image of a soft-furred animal, showing the part of speech and the meaning “covered in soft hair.” No dictionary, no translation — right on the card you were reading, the one word you didn't know falls into place.

Repeated at the right intervals until it's truly yours

Seen only once, a word fades. Pictan watches for the moment you're about to forget and brings the same word back, again and again, until it's firmly fixed. Words move from not-yet-started to learning, then settling, then retained — and once one has truly stuck, it naturally steps aside.

The home screen: a progress ring and the breakdown of retained / settling / learning / not-yet-started words.

No name or email required.
No ads.

We don't believe a habit is built on features alone, so we kept everything unrelated to learning off the screen as much as we could. Your progress and selected settings are stored on your iPhone and can be backed up privately through iCloud. No sign-in is needed.

Stored on your device and private iCloud.
Your progress and selected settings are saved on your iPhone and may be backed up to your private iCloud account for restore across Apple devices. We do not operate an account server.
No advertising.
Nothing breaks your focus mid-card.
No sign-in required.
No account, no email verification — just open the app and start.
Learning works offline after launch.
Once the app is open, the cards work without a signal. Launch checks, purchases and restores, and iCloud sync still require a connection.

Things people ask first.

Definitions are written in easy English. If a word still trips you up, just tap it — a picture pops up to fill in the meaning, so you keep reading without translating back.
Pictan isn't built to chase a TOEIC score directly. Its aim is being able to hold a conversation and watch films without subtitles — but along the way it builds a solid foundation of everyday vocabulary.
Every feature is free to try — the images, the tap-to-picture dictionary, review and tests. Premium unlocks the full 8,000 words. There's no free trial: you can learn enough for free to tell whether it's worth continuing.
Yes. You'll need a connection when you open the app, but once it is running the learning cards work without a signal. Purchases, restores, and iCloud sync require a connection.
Pictan is designed for adults. We don't recommend it for younger learners.
Three things together: every word has its own image; you can tap any word inside the explanation and see its picture too; and only the words you're about to forget come back, while the words you've mastered graduate out. Few apps combine all three.
The images, definitions, and example sentences are created with AI. We work hard on quality, but the chance of an occasional error isn't zero — so for exams or other purposes where accuracy matters, we recommend checking against a trustworthy source.

Set words into memory alongside their images

You could start on today's commute. A few quiet minutes a day is all it takes.

Get it on the App Store

Start free, and unlock all 8,000 only if you want to. No surprise charges — and even on the free plan, every word and all your review stay yours for good.