How to use Earu
Get a video with subtitles, sign in, and start practicing.
01Which videos work
MKV or MP4 videos with text subtitles inside (the subtitles are stored in the video file itself). English subtitles are supported for now, with more languages on the way. TV shows, movies, and cartoons all work.
- Image subtitles (PGS, VobSub): each subtitle is a picture, so the text can't be read
- Videos without subtitles
- Subtitles in a separate file (an .srt or .ass next to the video): external subtitle files aren't supported yet
Not sure if a video has subtitles? Just open it. If there are no usable subtitles, Earu tells you whether there are none, only image subtitles, or subtitles in a language that isn't supported yet.
02Opening and signing in
On a computer, use Google Chrome or Edge; on iPhone, Safari; on Android, the latest version of Chrome or of your phone's built-in browser. Go to earu.ai and click “Get started”.
The first time, you'll need to sign in: enter your phone number and get a code by text. No password needed. Phone numbers from anywhere in the world work. We suggest using a parent's phone number: if you forget the parental PIN, the code goes to that number.
Then open a video: on a computer, drag it into the window or click “Choose a video file”; on a phone, tap “Choose a video file” and pick a video from Files. It starts playing right away, from where you left off last time. Videos play only on your own computer or phone and are never uploaded.
03Listen and Sort
While watching, there are two ways to practice, “Listen” and “Sort”, and you can switch any time (on a computer, in the controls on the video; on a phone, under “⋯” at the bottom right).
One sentence at a time: previous sentence, next sentence, loop one sentence. Pull up the whole video's English and Chinese subtitles and click any sentence to jump to it. Until today's Sort target is met, the subtitles are covered (see “Target lock” below).
The sentence plays on a loop while you put the scrambled word tiles in the order you heard them. A correct answer earns 0–5 points depending on how hard the sentence is; tap “Keep going” to move on. Reach your points target each day (100 by default) and you've met the target.
Don't know a word? On a computer, hover over it; on a phone, press and hold it. A word card pops up: tap “Add word” to save it to your word notebook. After you sort a sentence correctly, you can also tap “Explain” to see how the sentence works.
04Daily tasks
Three steps a day, unlocked in order: Sort target → Read-aloud → Daily Words. Until a step is done, the next one's tab shows a small lock, and opening it only shows how much is left.
Today's set is picked from sentences you've sorted correctly (20 by default). Listen to each one first (the original audio or AI reading), then read it into the microphone. The app scores it, and 85 is a pass; once every sentence passes, this step is done. The first time, you'll need to let the browser use the microphone.
Words are picked from sentences you've sorted correctly: new words at your grade, plus words due for review (50 on weekdays and 70 on weekends by default). One question per word: hear it and pick the word, or hear it and pick the meaning. Missed words come back a little later; once you've gotten every word in today's batch right once, you're done. Want more practice? Tap “Do 50 more”.
On by default: until today's Sort target is met, both the English and Chinese subtitles are hidden in Listen, and in Sort you only see the sentence you just sorted. You can turn it off in “Settings”.
Set a 4–6 digit PIN in “Settings”, under your avatar at the top right. After that, changing the daily target, the daily amounts for Read-aloud and Daily Words, the passing score, or the target lock requires the PIN; kids can still change the grade, loop timing, and the like themselves. Forgot the PIN? Tap “Forgot PIN?” in Settings, and a code is texted to the phone number you sign in with.
05Choosing a grade
Choose it in “Settings”: Primary, Middle, High, or College (Middle by default). Kids can change the grade themselves; no parental PIN needed.
The four grades follow US school vocabulary levels (elementary, middle school, high school, college): rank American English words by how common they are, and Primary covers the 2,000 most common, Middle covers words 2,000 to 5,000, High covers 5,000 to 10,000, and College covers everything past 10,000. Words kids use every day, like animals, food, family, and holidays, count as Primary no matter where they rank.
| Grade | New Daily Words | Read-aloud sentences | Sort loop levels |
|---|---|---|---|
| Primary | Top 2,000 | 5–8 words | L1–L2 |
| Middle | Ranked 2,000–5,000 | 5–12 words | L1–L3 |
| High | Ranked 5,000–10,000 | 5–16 words | L2–L4 |
| College | Ranked past 10,000 | 5+ words | L3–L5 |
Words easier than your grade count as already known and won't come up as new words; harder ones are saved for later. When you change grades, the Sort loop levels switch to match, and you can still adjust them yourself in Settings.
How to choose: if you're not sure, start with Middle. If you already know most of the new words, move up a grade; if too many are unfamiliar, move down one.
At Primary, sentences are short and worth only 1–2 points each, so reaching the daily target (100 points by default) takes a lot of sentences. Parents can lower the target in Settings.
06Installing the app
Once installed, the icon opens Earu in its own window with no address bar, straight into the player. The “📌 Install app” button on the home page shows you how, based on the browser you're using.
Open earu.ai in Google Chrome or Edge, click “📌 Install app” on the home page, then click “Install” in the box that pops up. On a Mac, the button says “Add to Dock”; in Safari on a Mac, use the menu “File → Add to Dock…”.
Open earu.ai in Safari and tap the Share button at the bottom of the screen (a square with an arrow pointing up; if there's no such button, only a “⋯”, tap “⋯” and then “Share”; on iOS 27, with no “⋯” either, press and hold the address at the bottom, then tap “Share”). Swipe up, tap “Add to Home Screen”, then tap “Add”. iPad works the same way, except the Share button is at the top of the screen, to the right of the address bar. The first time you open it from the home screen icon, you'll need to sign in again.
Open earu.ai in Chrome, tap the ⋮ menu at the top right → “Install and create shortcut” (older versions say “Add to Home screen” or “Install app”), then tap “Install” or “Add”.
07Common questions
- My video only has image subtitles. Will it work?
- No. Image subtitles (PGS, VobSub) are pictures, so the text can't be read, which means no translation and no Sort. Get a version with text subtitles.
- Why do some videos have no sound on my Android phone?
- The video's audio is Dolby (AC3, E-AC3) or DTS, which browsers on Android phones can't play, so you only get the picture. Dolby videos play fine on iPhone; Google Chrome on a computer can't play these formats either. The easiest fix is to get a version with AAC audio.
- How do I choose a video file on my phone?
- iPhone: first save the video to the Files app (send it over with AirDrop, or download it in Safari), then tap “Choose a video file” → “Choose File”. Android: tap “Choose a video file” and find it in your file manager (downloads are usually in “Downloads”). Phones don't have “Recently played”, so you choose the video each time; choose the same one again and it picks up where you left off.
- I switched phones or computers. Where did the original audio for Read-aloud go?
- The original audio is a few seconds clipped from your own video the moment you sort a sentence correctly. It's stored in this device's browser, not uploaded. On a new device, or after clearing browser data, it's gone, and Read-aloud uses AI reading instead. Sort that sentence correctly again on the new device and the original audio is back.
- How many videos can I translate a day?
- Each account can translate subtitles for up to 5 new videos a day. Videos that you or anyone else already translated don't count, and the Chinese shows up as soon as you open them. Used them all up? Come back tomorrow.