LexiLib · free
EPUB and FB2 reader online — tap a word to translate it
Open an EPUB, FB2 or FB2.ZIP book right in your browser, with no install and no sign-up. Tap any word to see its translation. The file never leaves your device.
To read a book in a foreign language with a dictionary, open the file below: the browser shows it chapter by chapter, and tapping a word gives its English translation, with the dictionary form when the word is inflected.
Open a book
EPUB, FB2, FB2.ZIP and TXT work. Books with copy protection (DRM) won't open here, or in any reader without the store's key.
The file stays on your device: the browser opens it, and only the word you tap goes to the server. You can also drop the file here.
How tap-to-translate works
The word you tap is looked up in a dictionary built from Wiktionary. It knows inflected forms as well as headwords, so a Greek «ήταν» is found as «είμαι», to be. A dictionary answer is instant and free.
If the word isn't in the dictionary (a rare word, a name, an idiom), AI translates it using the sentence around it. The answer is kept, so the next reader gets it straight away. The free mode has an allowance for AI translations that refills over time; dictionary translations are unlimited.
- Set the book's language first. The reader takes it from the file; if the book doesn't say, choose it yourself, or there is no telling what to translate from.
- Tap a word. You'll see the translation and, when the word is inflected, its dictionary form in brackets.
- «Via English» means the dictionary had no direct translation and reached it through an English word. Such a translation can miss the sense, so check it against the context.
Which formats open
| Format | What it is | Here |
|---|---|---|
| EPUB | the open standard: Project Gutenberg, Standard Ebooks, most stores | opens, chapters follow the book's own order |
| FB2 | FictionBook, an XML book format common in Eastern Europe | opens, legacy encodings included |
| FB2.ZIP | the same FB2 in an archive | opens without unpacking |
| TXT | plain text | opens, split into parts of 60 paragraphs |
| MOBI, AZW3, PDF | Kindle formats and print layouts | don't open here; the LexiLib app reads MOBI and AZW3 |
Your file is not uploaded
The browser opens the book itself: the archive is unpacked and the text parsed on your device. Only the word you tap and the sentence around it go to the server, because without the sentence the AI can't tell which meaning is meant. The book, its title and anything else stay with you.
That's also why the page has no library and no bookmarks: close the tab and the book closes. To keep books and your place in them across devices, there is LexiLib.
Where to find books in another language
Classics published before the mid-20th century are mostly in the public domain and free to download legally. Project Gutenberg has tens of thousands of EPUBs in English and other languages, and Standard Ebooks has carefully proofread editions. The example on this page, «Alice's Adventures in Wonderland», comes from Project Gutenberg.
Recent books are sold by stores, and many carry DRM. No reader opens such a file except the store's own app.
The app does the same, and more
LexiLib does with your books what this page does, plus what a page can't: a library, your place in every book on every device, translation of whole sentences and a grammar breakdown, MOBI and AZW3.
The words you looked up are saved, and you can review them as flashcards so they stay with you past the next chapter.
Keep your library in LexiLib
Works in the browser on a computer or a phone, nothing to install. Your books, your place and the words you looked up are saved.
Questions
How do I open an EPUB without installing anything?
Choose the file on this page and the browser shows the book chapter by chapter. FB2.ZIP doesn't need unpacking either.
Is my book uploaded to your server?
No. The browser on your device opens the file. Only the word you tap and its sentence go to the server, to translate the word in context.
Is it free? How many words can I translate?
It's free. Dictionary words are unlimited. Rare words and names are translated by AI, and the free mode has an allowance for that which refills over time.
Why won't my book open?
Most often the file has copy protection (DRM), which only the store's own app can open. The format may also be the reason: MOBI, AZW3 and PDF don't open here, though the LexiLib app reads MOBI and AZW3.
Which languages can I read in?
Any language the book is written in: tap-to-translate always answers in English here. The dictionary covers the most common language pairs; for the rest, and for rare words, AI translates.