Best Dictionary Apps Compared: Which One Suits You?

There is no single best dictionary app. The right one depends on why you look words up. A native speaker checking a word in an essay needs something different from a student learning English, or a reader working through a novel in Spanish. This guide compares the main dictionary apps and says who each one suits: Merriam-Webster, Dictionary.com, Oxford Learner's Dictionaries, Apple's built-in Dictionary, WordReference, and our own Dictionary.

This comparison is based on what each product is designed for. Features, languages and plans change, so check each app's own site for current details.

The short version

App	Suits	Platforms	Works offline	Free to use
Merriam-Webster	American English definitions, with a thesaurus and word games	Web, iPhone, Android	Check their site	Has a free version
Dictionary.com	Quick English definitions with a thesaurus alongside	Web, iPhone, Android	Check their site	Has a free version
Oxford Learner's Dictionaries	People learning English who want clear, simple definitions	Web, iPhone, Android	Check their site	Has a free version
Apple Dictionary	Looking up words inside any app on Apple devices	iPhone, iPad, Mac	Yes, with downloaded dictionaries	Yes
WordReference	Translating single words between two languages	Web, iPhone, Android	Check their site	Has a free version
Dictionary (EveryApp)	Private, offline lookups in many languages, with words saved to practise	Any modern browser; installs on iPhone and Android	Yes, with downloaded languages	Yes

Merriam-Webster

Merriam-Webster is a long-standing dictionary of American English. Its definitions are written by lexicographers and cover spelling, pronunciation, word origins and usage. You can play recordings of how words sound. It has a thesaurus, a word of the day, and quizzes and word games for browsing.

Choose Merriam-Webster when you write in American English and want a dictionary you can cite. It suits writers, editors, students and anyone who enjoys learning where a word came from.

Where it falls short: it is an English dictionary. If you also look up words in other languages, you'll need another tool for those.

Dictionary.com

Dictionary.com is an English dictionary on the web and on phones. It pairs definitions with Thesaurus.com, so you can move from a word's meaning to words that mean the same in one step. It also has a word of the day and articles about words, slang and usage.

Choose Dictionary.com when you want quick English definitions and synonyms in one place, and you like reading about how words are used today.

Where it falls short: like Merriam-Webster, it focuses on English. Check its site for what works without a connection.

Oxford Learner's Dictionaries

Oxford Learner's Dictionaries are made for people learning English. Definitions use simple words, so you can understand them even when your English is still growing. Entries show British and American pronunciation and give plenty of examples of how a word is used in a sentence.

Choose Oxford Learner's when English is not your first language and you want definitions you can follow. It suits students, exam candidates and anyone working or studying in English.

Where it falls short: it is built for learners, so it leaves out the depth a native speaker or writer might want. It also covers English only. Be careful with the name, too: Oxford publishes several different dictionaries, and the learner's edition is a separate product from the larger Oxford English dictionaries.

Apple Dictionary

Apple's Dictionary comes built into iPhone, iPad and Mac. Select a word in almost any app and choose Look Up to see its meaning without leaving what you're reading. You can add dictionaries for other languages, including bilingual ones, and they work offline once downloaded.

Choose Apple Dictionary when you live on Apple devices and want definitions right where you read, with nothing to install. It suits reading on an iPad or Mac.

Where it falls short: it only runs on Apple devices. It isn't built for saving words to practise later. If you also use an Android phone or a Windows computer, you'll need something else there.

WordReference

WordReference is widely used by language learners. It is mainly a bilingual dictionary: look up a word in one language and see its translations in another, with the different senses set out clearly. It also has forums, where people discuss tricky words and phrases, and you can often find an answer to the exact question you have.

Choose WordReference when you need the right word in another language, especially for a common language pair. It suits learners, translators and anyone writing in a second language.

Where it falls short: it translates words between languages more than it explains them. If you want the meaning of a word in its own language, with examples and synonyms, a monolingual dictionary does that job better.

Dictionary (EveryApp)

Dictionary is an app that runs in your browser. Type a word and you see its meanings grouped by noun, verb and so on, with the most common meaning first. Meanings come with example sentences and words that mean the same. Tap a synonym to look that up too, and listen to how a word sounds.

Languages. It looks up words in 21 languages, including English, Spanish, French, German, Japanese, Korean, Chinese, Arabic and Hindi. For languages other than English, meanings are written in English, with examples, readings for other scripts and the forms of each word. So it works well for an English speaker reading in another language. It is not a Spanish dictionary written in Spanish.

English. The English dictionary has about 147,000 words and phrases. Its meanings come from WordNet, a free word database from Princeton University. Type "went" or "mice" and it opens "go" and "mouse". If a word isn't found, it suggests words you may have meant. There is also an English word of the day.

Works offline. Each language's dictionary downloads in small parts as you look words up. You can also download a whole language at once before a trip, then look words up with no signal.

Practise what you look up. Tap Save to Vocabulary Builder under any meaning. The word opens in Vocabulary Builder with its meaning and example filled in, ready for spaced review.

What Pro adds. Looking words up is free in all 21 languages. With Pro, you can have any word explained in your own language, with an example sentence and its meaning in your language. Pro also looks up words the offline dictionary doesn't have. These features use your plan and need an internet connection.

Privacy. Lookups happen on your device and nothing is sent. Recent words are only the word and its language, at most 50, and you can turn them off in Settings. With Pro, a word you ask to have explained is sent only to explain it.

Installing it. You don't need an app store. On iPhone, open it in Safari, tap Share, then Add to Home Screen. On Android, open it in Chrome and tap Install.

Choose Dictionary when you want one free dictionary that works offline across many languages and devices, keeps your lookups private, and sends words straight into practice. It suits language learners reading in another language and travellers who want to look words up with no signal.

Where others are better. Merriam-Webster gives richer English entries, with word origins, usage notes written by experts and recorded pronunciations. Oxford Learner's explains English in simpler words for learners. WordReference is better for finding the right translation in a language pair, and its forums answer questions no dictionary covers. Apple Dictionary is already built into Apple devices and works inside other apps. Dictionary has no word games, no word origins and no forums.

How to choose

Start with why you look words up most often.

• Writing in English. Merriam-Webster or Dictionary.com give full English entries and a thesaurus. If you are checking a whole sentence, a grammar checker helps too.
• Learning English. Oxford Learner's Dictionaries use simple definitions written for learners.
• Reading in another language. Dictionary looks words up in 21 languages with meanings in English, and works offline. With Pro, it can explain a word in your own language.
• Finding a word in another language. WordReference is built for translating words between two languages.
• Reading on Apple devices. Apple Dictionary lets you look up a word without leaving the page.
• Offline use. Apple Dictionary works offline with downloaded dictionaries. Dictionary does too, on any device with a modern browser, once a language is downloaded.
• Privacy. Prefer a dictionary that looks words up on your device. Dictionary sends nothing when you look a word up.
• Remembering new words. Choose one that lets you save and review words. Dictionary sends any meaning to Vocabulary Builder, and you can practise more with Learn Language.

Many people use two dictionaries: one built into the device they read on, and one for the language they are learning. There's no need to force one tool to do every job.

If you need a whole sentence

A dictionary explains one word at a time. To understand or write a full sentence in another language, use a translator. Our Translator handles 21 languages, and our guide to the best translator apps compares the main options. For ready-made travel phrases, try the Phrasebook.