What's the best way to learn a language? Read. Read a lot, read slowly, read repeatedly.
Language lives between the lines. Every sentence you read shapes your intuition; every word you encounter expands your expression. No need to rush, no need to memorize deliberately. Just patience and time.
Letterpress is not a learning tool—it's a quiet study. We've prepared the shelves and filled them with good writing from around the world. Long-form pieces from The New Yorker, commentary from The Guardian, technology, humanities—it's all here.
Each article comes with Chinese translation. Not for dependency, but for understanding. When you encounter an unfamiliar word, you don't need to break your flow; when you're uncertain about a sentence, you can reference the translation. It's there, but gradually you won't need it.
A vocabulary notebook remembers every word you mark. Over time, you'll notice certain words appearing repeatedly, certain expressions becoming familiar. This is the natural law of language acquisition—encountering words in authentic contexts, repeatedly, until you've mastered them.
We gather from The New Yorker, The Atlantic, The Guardian, and a dozen other publications, automatically updating every day. You don't need to hunt for material—just open the app, and fresh content awaits.
Side-by-Side Translation
Every article has a complete Chinese translation, paragraph-aligned and always accessible. Glance at it when you're stuck, hide it when you understand. The translation is a helper, not the goal—reading is.
Natural Vocabulary Building
Tap to mark unfamiliar words, and the system remembers them. Later, when you review and see these words used in different articles, you'll gradually understand their true meanings.
Subscribe to What You Love
Beyond our curated selections, you can add your own content sources. Want to read a specific blog? A podcast transcript? Add it. When reading aligns with your interests, it becomes sustainable.
Pricing
We believe good tools should be accessible. Try it free first, upgrade when it proves useful.
How is this different from other language learning apps?
We don't teach grammar, explain tricks, or gamify progress. Letterpress does one thing: provides you with abundant, quality reading material so you can learn language in authentic contexts. Just like how you learned your native language—read more, see more, understand naturally.
My vocabulary isn't strong enough. Can I still read?
Absolutely. Our articles have Chinese translations you can reference when stuck. It might be slow at first, but as you read more, you'll notice vocabulary repeating. That's the natural acquisition process.
Can I cancel anytime?
Yes. You can cancel your subscription anytime from account settings, no hassle. After canceling, your data remains for 30 days in case you change your mind.