Written by the team that makes Stemmy. Facts about Toucan come from its own pages, checked on 11 October 2026; see Sources.
The short answer
These two extensions point in opposite directions. Toucan starts from a language you already read well and mixes in words from a language you are learning. Stemmy starts from an English word you do not know yet and helps you understand it, save it and remember it.
So ask which way you are going. If you read the web in English and want to pick up another language on the side, Toucan is built for that. If English is the language you read at work or for an exam, and the hard part is its words, Stemmy is built for that.
Two ways to learn words from the web
Swapping words in. You read a page in a language you know well, and a few words appear in the language you are learning. The sentence around them gives you the meaning. This is low effort and steady, and suits you before you can read real material in the new language.
Looking words up and keeping them. You read a page in the language you are learning, and some words stop you. You check the meaning that fits the sentence, save the word with that sentence, and review it a few days later. It takes more effort per word, and suits you once you read real material and the gaps are specific words.
Neither is a complete course. If you want to try the second method by hand, our guide on how to remember new English words while reading online walks through it with a notebook.
What Toucan does
According to Toucan's store listing and Babbel's help centre, Toucan translates certain words and phrases on the websites you visit into the language you are learning. As you progress, it translates larger "lexical chunks": words that are often used together. You can adjust your level, pause Toucan on specific sites, or turn it off everywhere.
Toucan also has Shortcuts (words and phrases for common situations, like ordering food), Extra Practice (mini practice sessions inserted into Google, Twitter and Reddit), quizzes and games, and achievements to track progress. You can save words to review later.
It supports learning French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Spanish, Hindi, English, Hebrew, Arabic and Chinese (Simplified Mandarin). Babbel's help centre says it is optimised for websites in English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Hindi and Korean, and that it runs on Chrome and Edge. Toucan's site describes it as a free extension.
English is on that list, which matters. If you browse in Spanish, say, Toucan can mix English words into those pages. Stemmy is not built for that.
What Stemmy does
Stemmy is a Chrome extension for the opposite case: the page is already in English, and a word gets in your way. Highlight it, click the Stemmy button beside it or press Alt+Shift+D, and the Ghost Card shows the meaning that fits the sentence, the word's roots (WordDNA) and its pronunciation. AI meanings need a free account.
From there, save the word to your Vocabulary Wallet. It keeps the meaning, the sentence you found it in and the page link, and you can search your words, grouped into categories, in the side panel or the dashboard. Reviews bring due words back in short spaced-repetition sessions (FSRS), rated Again, Hard, Good or Easy, and you can stop and resume at any time.
X-Ray scans a difficult page and shows which words are worth learning. AI Stories writes short passages from the words in your review queue. Optional Immersion shows your saved words again on pages you read, and optional Wallet Letters (beta) emails you up to three due words on the schedule you choose, with "I remembered / I forgot" links that update your reviews.
Free to install. No paid plan is offered today. AI features need a free account (Google Sign-In or email). Each account gets 150 free AI uses in total, once; Ghost Card lookups and cloud voice draw on them. Your wallet, reviews and settings are stored in your browser, and for a requested AI feature only the word and its sentence go to the AI provider. The privacy page has the details.
Side by side
| Stemmy | Toucan by Babbel | |
|---|---|---|
| Main idea | Understand and keep English words you meet while reading | Learn a new language by seeing some words on your pages translated into it |
| Direction | Unknown English word → meaning in context | Your reading language → words in the language you are learning |
| Languages | English words | 12 languages to learn, including English |
| Changes words on the page | No. Optional Immersion shows your saved words again on pages you read | Yes, that is the core feature |
| Word lookup in context | Ghost Card: meaning for the sentence, roots, pronunciation (free account for AI meanings) | Translates chosen words for you; hover a word to save it |
| Saved words | Vocabulary Wallet with sentence, page link, categories and search | Saved Words list for review |
| Review | Spaced repetition (FSRS) | Saved words to review, plus quizzes, games and Extra Practice |
| Extras | X-Ray, AI Stories, WordDNA roots, optional Wallet Letters | Shortcuts for common situations, achievements, level setting |
| Browsers | Chrome | Chrome and Edge |
| Price | Free to install; no paid plan today; AI features need a free account, with 150 free AI uses, once | Free to install, per its site; no price for a paid plan shown on its public pages |
| Chrome Web Store | No figures quoted here | 200,000 users; rated 3.5 from 1.4K ratings |
Toucan details from its Chrome Web Store listing, jointoucan.com and Babbel's help centre, as of 11 October 2026. See Sources.
Who each one is for
Toucan is the better fit if you want to start or keep up a new language without setting aside study time, you mostly read in a language you are already comfortable with, or you use Edge. It is also an option if you are learning English from another language and want English words mixed into pages in your first language.
Stemmy is the better fit if you already read in English, at work or for study, and the problem is the words you meet. That includes people who read reports and emails in a second language, and exam learners who want words from real texts. If the words you need are things like business English vocabulary, or you want to understand words through their roots, Stemmy is aimed at you.
Can you use both?
Yes. They do different jobs. Someone who reads English at work and is learning Italian for fun could use Stemmy for the English words they meet and Toucan for a daily drip of Italian.
If you are still weighing tools, our English vocabulary app page walks through how Stemmy works step by step, and our page on vocabulary flashcards compares Stemmy Reviews with Anki.
Frequently asked questions
Is Stemmy a Toucan alternative?
Only if your goal is English vocabulary. Toucan mixes words from a language you are learning into pages you read. Stemmy explains English words you meet in their sentence, saves them and brings them back for review. They solve different problems.
Can Toucan help me learn English?
Yes. English is one of the 12 languages Toucan lists for learning, as of 11 October 2026. It works by putting English words into pages you read in another language. Stemmy instead helps when the page is already in English.
Is Toucan free?
Toucan's site says you can install the extension for free, as of 11 October 2026. We found no price for a paid plan on its public pages, so check jointoucan.com for current details.
Is Stemmy free?
Stemmy is free to install and no paid plan is offered today. AI features need a free account (Google Sign-In or email). Each account gets 150 free AI uses in total, once; Ghost Card lookups and cloud voice draw on them.
Which browsers do they work in?
Stemmy is a Chrome extension. Babbel's help centre says Toucan is supported on Chrome and Edge, as of 11 October 2026.
Sources
- Toucan by Babbel, Chrome Web Store listing: https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/toucan-language-learning/lokjgaehpcnlmkebpmjiofccpklbmoci. Checked 23 October 2026 for users (200,000) and rating (3.5 from 1.4K ratings), and 11 October 2026 for how it works, the 12 languages, Shortcuts, Extra Practice and saved words.
- jointoucan.com, checked 11 October 2026 for "free extension", quizzes and games, achievements, and the absence of a shown price.
- How Toucan Works, checked 11 October 2026 for lexical chunks, Shortcuts and Extra Practice.
- Babbel Help Centre: Toucan browser extension, checked 11 October 2026 for supported browsers, languages, optimised websites, Saved Words and settings.
- Stemmy facts: this site and the Stemmy privacy page.