Double Click Word Search

WHAT IT DOES

Double Click Word Search is a browser extension that allows you to double-click any word on a webpage to search for it using your chosen search engine. A small popup appears near the cursor with options to search the word, copy it to the clipboard, or look up its definition. The tool supports multiple search engines including Google, DuckDuckGo, Wikipedia, Bing, Yahoo, and Brave Search. You can toggle the feature on or off at any time, and the selected search engine is saved per website. The tool is ideal for researchers, students, writers, and anyone who frequently looks up words, terms, or concepts while reading online.

WHERE IT RUNS

Double Click Word Search runs on any webpage, overlaying a floating panel that does not interfere with page content. It operates entirely in your browser as a lightweight userscript, detecting double-click events and extracting words from text nodes. It works on any page, whether static or dynamic, with no external dependencies. All settings are stored locally using GM_setValue—no data is ever sent to any server.

HOW TO USE

After installation, open the floating panel by clicking the extension icon. The panel shows the current status (Enabled or Disabled) and a toggle button to enable or disable the feature. Select your preferred search engine from the dropdown. To use the tool, simply double-click any word on any webpage. A popup appears near the cursor showing the selected word with three buttons: Search (opens the search engine in a new tab), Copy (copies the word to your clipboard), and Define (searches for a definition of the word). The popup auto-hides after 5 seconds or when you click elsewhere. All settings are saved per website, so your preferences persist across visits.

REAL MECHANISM — WHY THIS WORKS

Most word search tools require selecting text and right-clicking to open a context menu, which adds extra steps. Double Click Word Search uses a streamlined event-driven approach that captures double-click events and extracts the word at the cursor position. When a double-click occurs, the tool uses document.caretRangeFromPoint (or document.elementFromPoint) to find the text node under the cursor. It then determines the word boundaries by scanning backward and forward from the cursor position to find the start and end of the word (using a regex that matches letters, numbers, and apostrophes). The tool creates a popup div positioned near the cursor, with buttons that trigger the selected action. The search uses the chosen search engine's URL with the word encoded as a query parameter, opened in a new tab using GM_openInTab. The copy action uses GM_setClipboard. This approach ensures fast, accurate, and fully private word searching without requiring any external services or network access.

THE PANEL

The floating panel is fully draggable and remembers its position per site, snapping to the edges of the viewport when dragged near them. You can collapse the panel to a small icon to minimize screen distraction and expand it back with a single click. The panel is resizable from the bottom-right corner, giving you more space to view controls. Press the Escape key to close the panel instantly. The panel remains open across page navigation within the same domain, maintaining your current view state. All preferences—panel position, enabled state, and search engine selection—are saved per domain for a seamless experience.

PLEASE NOTE

Double Click Word Search requires the free BotGentz extension to be installed and enabled, as it relies on the cross-extension messaging API provided by BotGentz for DOM access permissions. The tool extracts words by detecting double-click events and may not work on pages with custom event handlers that prevent default behavior. The tool only works on visible text nodes and may not detect words in images, SVGs, or canvas elements. The popup auto-hides after 5 seconds. All settings are stored locally in your browser using GM_setValue. No word data, search queries, or usage information is ever sent to any server. The extension does not read, store, or transmit any personal information. It only detects double-click events and opens search links at your request.