3.8 / 5

Explain This

Select anything, right-click, get instant explanation

Fun

Instant

The Problem

Constantly encountering unfamiliar terms; looking them up is disruptive

Current Solutions (Not Great)

Google in new tab (context switch), Wikipedia (too detailed), ignore and guess

Who Needs This

Learners, non-native speakers, anyone reading technical/specialized content

You encounter unfamiliar terms, jargon, concepts, and references constantly while browsing. Explain This adds 'Explain' to your right-click menu. Select any text—a technical term, a cultural reference, an acronym, a person's name—and get an instant, contextual explanation. It considers the page you're on, so it knows that 'Python' on a coding site means the language, not the snake. Simple, fast, always available.

Honest Take

Super simple concept, easy to demo, universally useful—this is the kind of extension people actually install and use daily. Market is moderately saturated with dictionary/lookup extensions, but context-aware AI explanations are genuinely better than old-school definitions. Monetization is tricky since it feels like a utility that should be free or cheap.

Monetization Ideas

Ways to turn this into revenue

Free / Open Source

GitHub stars, Twitter followers, job opportunities

Donations / Tip Jar

$5-50/month from grateful users

Freemium

Free basic, $5-15/mo for pro

Features

Key features that make this app valuable

Right-click context menu integration
Context-aware explanations
Adjustable depth (quick, detailed, ELI5)
Popup appears near selection
Related terms suggestions
Save explanations for later
Pronunciation for names/terms
Works with images (explain what's in image)

Build Prompt

Use this prompt with an AI assistant to start building

Build a Chrome extension called 'Explain This' using WebInfer. Manifest V3 with contextMenus, activeTab, storage permissions. Background script: chrome.contextMenus.create for 'Explain This' on selection. On click, get selected text from tab, also capture: page title, URL, and surrounding paragraph via content script. Use generateObject to return { term: string, quickExplanation: string, detailedExplanation: string, eli5: string, context: string, relatedTerms: string[], pronunciation?: string, seeAlso: string[] }. Content script displays floating popup near selection: shows quick explanation by default, tabs for detailed/ELI5. 'Save' button stores to personal glossary. 'Read aloud' uses speechSynthesis for pronunciation. If selection is/contains image, use vision model for 'What is this?' explanation. Popup: saved terms list, searchable. Statistics: most looked-up terms (for learning focus).

Score Breakdown

Pain

Clarity