Why We Built CapWords

Why We Built

CapWords

CapWords actually started from a very simple moment in everyday life with my daughter.


Back in 2022, she was going to kindergarten near my office. Every day on the way home, she’d point at things and ask me:

“How do you say this in English?”


My wife taught her words like “road” and “building,” and she picked them up so fast. Honestly, I ended up learning a lot too, just from walking with her.


One day, she pointed at a road sign and asked:


“What’s this called?”


I was stuck and had no idea. So I opened a translation app, and it replied in this robotic voice:


“Signpost.”


She just quietly said “oh,” and I could tell something was missing.


That moment made me realize:


Language learning should feel natural,

a part of everyday life—

something warm, not cold or mechanical.



My daughter also loves stickers.


Since she was two, she’d stick them everywhere—our fridge, the sofa, even my face. And every time, she did it so seriously, like she was creating art.


That gave me an idea:


“What if we could ‘peel’ things off from the real world like a sticker and collect them?”


That was the seed for CapWords.



Since launch, we’ve received some interesting feedback.


One user said it feels like being an alien living on Earth, trying to collect and name every object. Another called CapWords:


“The warmest and most humane AI I’ve ever used.”


We really love hearing that. It’s a privilege knowing our app helps people rediscover the joy of learning languages—not through textbooks, but through everyday life.

CapWords actually started from a very simple moment in everyday life with my daughter.


Back in 2022, she was going to kindergarten near my office. Every day on the way home, she’d point at things and ask me:

“How do you say this in English?”


My wife taught her words like “road” and “building,” and she picked them up so fast. Honestly, I ended up learning a lot too, just from walking with her.


One day, she pointed at a road sign and asked:


“What’s this called?”


I was stuck and had no idea. So I opened a translation app, and it replied in this robotic voice:


“Signpost.”


She just quietly said “oh,” and I could tell something was missing.


That moment made me realize:


Language learning should feel natural,

a part of everyday life—

something warm, not cold or mechanical.



My daughter also loves stickers.


Since she was two, she’d stick them everywhere—our fridge, the sofa, even my face. And every time, she did it so seriously, like she was creating art.


That gave me an idea:


“What if we could ‘peel’ things off from the real world like a sticker and collect them?”


That was the seed for CapWords.



Since launch, we’ve received some interesting feedback.


One user said it feels like being an alien living on Earth, trying to collect and name every object. Another called CapWords:


“The warmest and most humane AI I’ve ever used.”


We really love hearing that. It’s a privilege knowing our app helps people rediscover the joy of learning languages—not through textbooks, but through everyday life.

CapWords actually started from a very simple moment in everyday life with my daughter.


Back in 2022, she was going to kindergarten near my office. Every day on the way home, she’d point at things and ask me:

“How do you say this in English?”


My wife taught her words like “road” and “building,” and she picked them up so fast. Honestly, I ended up learning a lot too, just from walking with her.


One day, she pointed at a road sign and asked:


“What’s this called?”


I was stuck and had no idea. So I opened a translation app, and it replied in this robotic voice:


“Signpost.”


She just quietly said “oh,” and I could tell something was missing.


That moment made me realize:


Language learning should feel natural,

a part of everyday life—

something warm, not cold or mechanical.



My daughter also loves stickers.


Since she was two, she’d stick them everywhere—our fridge, the sofa, even my face. And every time, she did it so seriously, like she was creating art.


That gave me an idea:


“What if we could ‘peel’ things off from the real world like a sticker and collect them?”


That was the seed for CapWords.



Since launch, we’ve received some interesting feedback.


One user said it feels like being an alien living on Earth, trying to collect and name every object. Another called CapWords:


“The warmest and most humane AI I’ve ever used.”


We really love hearing that. It’s a privilege knowing our app helps people rediscover the joy of learning languages—not through textbooks, but through everyday life.

How did we design the
sounds experience?

CapWords treats every detail as a product, drawing inspiration from the everyday. We crafted interactions and sound effects by experimenting with real materials colliding, tapping, and swiping familiar objects.


All sounds were recorded on iPhone and refined in GarageBand, then edited on a Mac. The first prototype was built through video editing, letting us preview and fine-tune every effect before coding them in. The swipe and flip sounds, as well as error prompts, were captured using concert tickets and flyers—recorded over many takes with a close friend.


To us sound effects should feel warm and human, never cold or mechanical.