Capture ideas and phrases from text that you read. Build a digital garden of words.
Literal supports annotations made within web browsers, PDF readers, and more.
Share the highlight with Literal to import it. Use the selection toolbar to share the highlighted text directly, or share a screenshot of the highlight.
Add context and thoughts by adding tags and notes.
Browse annotations grouped by tags and reflect as ideas evolve in response to new annotations and new relationships between them.
Interacting with text elevates the reading experience beyond one of passive consumption and into one that requires analysis and critical thought. Annotations are of equal value to the text itself.
Ideas do not exist in isolation. Ideas are threads that span otherwise disparate contexts. Annotations organized strictly by their original source is an artificial limitation.
Annotations removed from their original context are like a verse without a song, or a headline without an article. Given a highlight, you should frequently reexamine it within its original context.
Information flows like ripples in a pond, and cascades to create and amplify network effects. Data - annotations and sources, creators and consumers - should be free to move across the boundaries of systems.
Available Now
Coming Soon
We're just getting started, and there is so much work to do. Get started now, and keep in mind that we're always improving.
Android mobile app
Create highlight from screenshot
Create highlight from text
Annotation tagging
First-class W3C Web Annotation support
Annotation source viewer
iOS mobile app
Graph viewer
Browser extension
Annotation sharing and discovery
Get the mobile application.
View the blog.
Reach out to tell us what you think, ask a question, or just say hello.
View the source code.
What data we collect and why.