About This Dictionary
A free, privacy-first English dictionary that returns authoritative definitions, audio pronunciation, and linguistic data from curated sources. Type any English word and get real data — not AI-generated guesses.
Why This Beats Asking AI
Large language models like ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini have three core problems when you ask them to "define a word":
- Hallucinated definitions — LLMs invent plausible-sounding but wrong definitions for less common words (e.g., invented etymologies, wrong part of speech, fabricated example sentences).
- No real audio — AI can transcribe IPA phonetic symbols but cannot play a real human voice. This tool plays real audio recordings (US & UK) from Wikipedia Commons.
- Stale or missing data — LLM training data is months to years old. New slang, recent additions to dictionaries, or evolving usage patterns may be missing. This tool fetches live data on every query.
This dictionary is the opposite approach: every definition, every audio file, every synonym comes from a curated, authoritative source. You get the same data a linguist would use, instantly and free.
What You Get
- Definitions — Multiple senses grouped by part of speech (noun, verb, adjective, adverb, etc.)
- Audio pronunciation — Real US and UK recordings with one-click play (no signup, no app)
- Phonetic transcription — IPA notation in both US and UK variants
- Example sentences — Real usage examples from authoritative corpora
- Synonyms — Per-part-of-speech synonym lists, clickable to look up
- Antonyms — Opposite-word lists, clickable to look up
- Random word — Discover new vocabulary with a curated random word button
- Search history — Recent lookups stored only in your browser, never sent anywhere
Where does the data come from?
Definitions, phonetics, audio, and example sentences come from dictionaryapi.dev, a free, no-key public API aggregating Wiktionary and other open-source dictionaries. Synonyms and antonyms are enhanced with the Datamuse Word API. Both are free for any use and require no API key.
Is my search history private?
Yes. Your recent lookups are stored only in your browser's local storage. They are never sent to any server, never logged, and never shared. You can clear them anytime with the Clear button or by clearing your browser data.
Can I look up any word?
The dictionary covers hundreds of thousands of English words from common vocabulary to specialized terminology. If a word is missing, the API returns a 404 and we suggest a search-engine fallback. Misspellings show suggestions from Datamuse.
Does it work on mobile?
Yes. The layout is fully responsive and audio playback works on iOS, Android, and all modern mobile browsers. Bookmark it for quick word lookups anywhere.
Is this better than Dictionary.com or Cambridge?
It is leaner, faster, ad-free, signup-free, and respects your privacy. For most everyday lookups the definitions are comparable. Cambridge and Dictionary.com have more editorial content, but require signup for advanced features and track you with ads and analytics. This tool is the no-nonsense alternative for people who just want a definition fast.