WordOrb Vocabulary -- Obsidian Plugin

Look up words, generate vocabulary notes, insert word cards, and take quizzes directly inside Obsidian. Powered by the WordOrb API (162K words, 47 languages, 226K lessons).

Features

• Look Up Word -- Open a modal to search any English word. See definition, IPA, etymology, and translations.
• Insert Word Card -- Insert a formatted callout block with word details into your current note.
• Generate Vocabulary Note -- Creates a full note with frontmatter, definition, etymology, translations, lesson, and quiz questions.
• Daily Word -- View today's 5-phase vocabulary lesson (hook, story, wonder, action, wisdom).
• Take a Quiz -- Interactive multiple-choice vocabulary quiz in a modal.
• Wikilink Integration -- Type [[wordorb:courage]] and it renders as an inline definition link. Click to expand.
• Daily Note Integration -- Automatically appends the word of the day to your daily note.
• Ribbon Icon -- Quick-access icon in the left sidebar for word lookup.

Installation

From Community Plugins (after approval)

1. Open Obsidian Settings.
2. Go to Community plugins and click Browse.
3. Search for "WordOrb Vocabulary".
4. Click Install, then Enable.
5. Go to the plugin settings and enter your API key.

Manual Installation

1. Download main.js, manifest.json, and styles.css from the latest release.
2. Create a folder: <vault>/.obsidian/plugins/wordorb-vocabulary/
3. Place the three files inside that folder.
4. Restart Obsidian, then enable the plugin in Settings > Community plugins.

Configuration

Setting	Default	Description
API Key	--	Your WordOrb API key (starts with wo_)
Default Tone	neutral	Tone for word lookups
Preferred Languages	es,fr,de,ja	Languages to show in word cards and notes
Daily Note Word of Day	Off	Auto-append today's word to your daily note
Daily Note Folder	--	Folder path for daily notes

Commands

All commands are available via Ctrl+P (or Cmd+P):

Command	Description
WordOrb: Look up word	Open search modal
WordOrb: Look up selected word	Look up the word under cursor / selection
WordOrb: Insert word card	Insert a callout block into your note
WordOrb: Generate vocabulary note	Create a full vocabulary note file
WordOrb: Show daily word	Open today's lesson
WordOrb: Take a vocabulary quiz	Start an interactive quiz

Wikilink Syntax

Type [[wordorb:courage]] in any note. The plugin renders this as a clickable inline link. Clicking it opens the word detail modal.

Generated Note Format

The Generate vocabulary note command creates a Markdown file like:

---
word: courage
created: 2026-03-06
source: wordorb
tags: [vocabulary]
---

# courage

**IPA:** /ˈkɜːr.ɪdʒ/
**Part of Speech:** noun

## Definition

The ability to face danger, difficulty, uncertainty, or pain without being overcome by fear...

## Etymology

From Old French corage (modern French courage), from Latin cor ("heart")...

## Translations

| Language | Translation |
|----------|-------------|
| ES | coraje |
| FR | courage |
| DE | Mut |
...

## Daily Lesson

...5 phases of today's lesson...

## Quick Quiz

**Q:** Which of the following best describes courage?
- [ ] Physical strength
- [ ] Mental fortitude in the face of fear
...

Community Plugins Submission Guide

Prerequisites

1. GitHub repository -- Create a public repo for the plugin.
2. Build system -- Compile main.ts to main.js using the Obsidian sample plugin build setup.
3. Release -- Create a GitHub release with main.js, manifest.json, and styles.css as assets.

Submission Steps

1. Fork obsidianmd/obsidian-releases.

2. Edit community-plugins.json and add your plugin entry:

   {
       "id": "wordorb-vocabulary",
       "name": "WordOrb Vocabulary",
       "author": "Lesson of the Day PBC",
       "description": "Look up words, generate vocabulary notes, insert word cards, and take quizzes from the WordOrb API.",
       "repo": "lessonoftheday/wordorb-obsidian"
   }
   

3. Submit a pull request to obsidianmd/obsidian-releases.

4. Wait for review (typically 1-2 weeks).

Requirements for Approval

• Plugin ID in manifest.json matches the entry in community-plugins.json.
• No eval() or new Function() calls.
• No loading remote code (scripts, stylesheets).
• All API calls use Obsidian's requestUrl (not fetch or XMLHttpRequest).
• Plugin works on both desktop and mobile (isDesktopOnly: false).
• manifest.json has correct minAppVersion (1.0.0).
• GitHub release has main.js, manifest.json, and styles.css.
• README describes what the plugin does and how to set it up.

Build Setup

Use the official Obsidian sample plugin as a template:

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Build
npm run build

# Development with hot reload
npm run dev

The tsconfig.json and esbuild.config.mjs from the sample plugin work out of the box.

Updating

1. Bump version in manifest.json and package.json.
2. Update the versions.json file with the new version mapping.
3. Create a new GitHub release with the updated assets.

License

MIT