Privacy policy · WordySpot

WordySpot helps people find, understand, and save words while reading. This policy explains how WordySpot.com and the WordySpot browser extension handle information.

What the browser extension processes

When enabled for a website, the extension reads visible page text in your browser so it can identify and highlight words. Text hidden by the page, inside a closed disclosure, or marked unavailable to readers is excluded from scanning. The resulting visible text is processed locally and is not uploaded to WordySpot.

The extension may send the following limited information:

Account authentication information needed to connect the extension securely to your WordySpot account.
Your WordySpot list names, settings, and saved words when the extension synchronizes your lists.
The site rules you type yourself, if you use them. Once the extension is connected, your allowed-site and ignored-site patterns are saved to your account so they apply on every browser you connect. These are only the patterns you enter: WordySpot does not record the pages you visit and never creates a rule from your browsing history.
A word you explicitly open in the dictionary or save to a list.
A requested word pronunciation when you press the audio button.

The extension is disabled in private or incognito browsing. WordySpot does not use the extension to collect your browsing history, and the extension does not upload the full contents of pages you visit.

Current extension versions use these WordySpot service hosts:

wordyspot.com for account connection, list synchronization, requested definitions, and pronunciation fallback when the audio host is unavailable; and
sounds.wordyspot.com for audio only when you request a pronunciation. Pronunciation requests omit cookies and the address of the page you are reading.

Older extension versions request definitions from dict.wordyspot.com.

Optional extension performance reports

In extension settings, Advanced: WordySpot feels slow can record a short report to help troubleshoot a problem. Recording is off by default. It includes timings, counts, timestamps, the extension version, diagnostic labels, and temporary technical request IDs. It excludes words, list contents, account and list identifiers, sign-in details, page addresses, and page titles.

The recording stays in this browser session, stops after five minutes, and is limited to 2,000 events or 512 KiB of event data. It is cleared when the browser closes or the extension reloads. You can save a report to a file or delete the recording without deleting your settings or saved words. A saved file remains on your device until you delete it. Nothing is uploaded automatically; sharing the file with support is your choice.

Account and website information

If you create or use a WordySpot account, we store the account details supplied through sign-in, your lists and saved words, and other content you choose to create on WordySpot. We use this information to provide, synchronize, secure, maintain, and improve the service.

Each time you sign in, we record the time, the IP address of the browser that signed in, and a broad browser, operating system, and device category worked out from your browser’s user-agent (for example, “Firefox on Windows, desktop”; the full user-agent is not saved). We also note roughly when that sign-in was last used and whether the browser extension was connected through it. You can see these details on the Signed-in devices page of your profile, and only you can see them. We use them to let you recognize and sign out browsers and to protect your account. They are deleted as soon as that browser is signed out, either in that browser or from that page, and when your account is deleted. A browser that stops being used without signing out, for example because its cookies were cleared, stays on that page with its details until you sign it out there.

If you add an email address, we use it to sign you in by email link, to confirm the address, and to tell you when your password or email changes. We send these emails through Cloudflare, our email provider, and we do not send marketing email. An address you type is used for signing in only after you confirm it from the link we send to it. If you set a password, we store only a one-way hash of it, never the password itself.

Support messages

When you send a message from the support form, WordySpot stores what you wrote, the topic you picked, the email address you entered (if any), any files you attached, your browser's user-agent string, the time, and, if you were signed in, which account sent it. Only the developer reads these messages, to answer and fix what they describe. The address you enter is used only to reply to you; the form never sends email on its own. Attachments are kept in private storage and are never published. Messages and attachments are deleted once they are no longer needed, and you can ask for yours to be deleted sooner by emailing support@wordyspot.com or through the support form.

Operational information

Like most online services, WordySpot infrastructure may record limited technical information such as IP address, browser or user-agent type, request time, requested WordySpot endpoint, response status, and security or error diagnostics. We use this information to operate, protect, troubleshoot, and prevent abuse of the service.

Creating an account, asking for an email sign-in link, and adding or changing your account email, and sending a support message each include a Cloudflare Turnstile check. Password sign-in shows one only after several attempts from the same network in a short time, or several wrong passwords for the same username or email. Your browser loads the check from Cloudflare only on pages that show one, and Cloudflare receives your IP address and browser details to tell people from automated abuse. Other pages never load it.

Site analytics

We estimate your country from your IP address while handling the request, using a local database, then discard the address from analytics. Only the country code adds to a daily count, including sign-ups by country. We also count your browser’s primary preferred language in broad categories. Country, language and device counts are approximate; they do not tell us your nationality or native language. IP Geolocation by DB-IP.

When you are signed out, we count views of the home page, the extension pages, the sign-in and sign-up pages, the word pack pages, and the free classics pages. Each view adds one to a daily total for the page, a broad device, operating system, and browser category, and where the visit came from: the referring website’s main domain (for example, example.com rather than anything.example.com), or a tag in the link such as ?ref=newsletter from a fixed list we chose (any other tag is only counted as “other”). Where the visit came from is also counted by the same broad device category, so we can see, for example, how many visits from one link were on phones, and by page, so we can see which pages the visits from one link went on to. A view of a word pack also adds one to that pack’s daily total. The categories are worked out from information your browser sends with every request. We do not save your IP address, your full browser information, the full address of the page you came from, or any identifier with these counts, so they cannot tell us who visited or connect two visits. Known automated requests are left out where we can recognize them. Daily totals are deleted after 90 days.

In the same way, without saving who you are, we count presses of the site’s Chrome and Firefox store buttons and of the sign-in buttons while signed out, each by the WordySpot page the button was on. When a link carries a tag from our fixed list, we carry it in the site’s links and forms and count store presses, sign-in starts and completed sign-ups by that tag. The tag temporarily travels through the existing expiring sign-in state; it is not added to your account. These counts cannot link separate visits or tell which visitor completed the steps. We also count anonymous page actions: sharing, copying or displaying the computer link; word taps and Known, Learning and Ignore presses on the sample text and the free classics, and taps on that text that miss the underlined words; video plays (including autoplay); and FAQ opens, also by the link’s tag. On the home page and the free classics we also count, once per page view, that the page was on screen for 5 seconds and that something was done on it (a tap, a press or a scroll past half of the first screen), with no detail of what. Only the action category, page and tag are sent, never the word or shared content. When you leave a page or switch away from it, the page sends one more count: roughly how long it was on screen (under 5 seconds, 5 to 15 seconds, 15 seconds to a minute, 1 to 5 minutes, or longer) and how far down it was scrolled (in quarters), with the page category, the tag and a broad device category. When the browser extension is removed, the browser opens a WordySpot page that counts one removal for the extension’s browser and version; if you pick a reason on that page, it adds one to that reason. These daily totals are also deleted after 90 days.

We also record when an account is created and when that account first connects the browser extension. These account milestones are used to show aggregate sign-up and connection totals to administrators. They are linked to the account until it is deleted.

For signed-in accounts, we note each day (in UTC) on which the account used the website, and each day on which its browser extension made a signed-in request to WordySpot. Nothing else is recorded with these days: not the pages you opened, the words you looked up, or your IP address. We use them only to show administrators aggregate numbers, such as how many accounts were active this week and how many came back in the weeks after signing up. They are deleted after 400 days and when your account is deleted. Separately, the first extension request of an account’s day adds one to a daily total for the extension’s browser and version, which is not linked to any account and is deleted after 90 days.

We do not use analytics or advertising cookies or browser storage, and no campaign tag or country is saved on an account, and no browsing in the extension is recorded. To measure activation, administrators see the share of accounts that still have at least five distinct words saved during their first seven days, using the saved words already in the account. The site’s fonts are served from wordyspot.com, so loading a page does not contact a font provider.

How information is shared

WordySpot does not sell or rent personal information and does not use browser-extension data for targeted advertising. Information is shared only with service providers that help operate WordySpot, such as hosting, storage, content delivery, and authentication providers; when you direct us to share it; or when disclosure is required to comply with law, protect users, or secure the service.

Chrome Web Store Limited Use

WordySpot's use of information received through Chrome APIs complies with the Chrome Web Store User Data Policy, including the Limited Use requirements. We use this information only to provide or improve the extension's single purpose. We transfer it only when needed to provide that purpose, operate WordySpot, comply with applicable law, or protect against security threats and abuse. We do not sell it or use it for personalized advertising, data brokerage, creditworthiness, or lending.

Humans do not read extension user data unless you give explicit consent for specific support, access is necessary for security or legal compliance, or the data is first aggregated and anonymized for permitted internal operations.

Retention and deletion

Account lists and saved words are retained while needed to provide your account. Pairing codes and their one-time security proofs expire after five minutes and can be used only once. A pairing record is deleted immediately after use, and recurring cleanup deletes expired pairing records. WordySpot does not store a permanent browser extension installation identifier. Operational records are retained only as long as reasonably necessary for security, reliability, legal, and troubleshooting purposes. You may remove saved words and lists through WordySpot. You may also request access to or deletion of your account information by contacting us.

Security

WordySpot uses encrypted HTTPS connections for production services, limits extension access to the service origins it needs, and uses short-lived, one-time codes and private proofs when pairing the extension with an account. No online system can guarantee absolute security.

Children

WordySpot is not directed to children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13.

Changes to this policy

We may update this policy when the service or legal requirements change. We will publish the new version here and update the effective date.

Contact

For privacy questions or account-data requests, email support@wordyspot.com or use the support form.