Dictionary API Documentation

🔑

API Keys

Access the API using Bearer token authentication. Generate keys in your dashboard.

⚡

Base URL

https://api.dictionary.com/v2

📊

Rate Limits

Free: 50 req/min | Pro: 1000 req/min | Enterprise: Custom

Authentication

All API requests require authentication using API keys. Include your API key in the Authorization header as a Bearer token.

HTTP Header

Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY
Content-Type: application/json

Rate Limits

Rate limits are applied per API key and reset every 60 seconds. The current usage is returned in response headers.

Free Plan

12/50 req/min

Pro Plan

85/500 req/min

Response Headers

X-RateLimit-Limit: 50
X-RateLimit-Remaining: 42
X-RateLimit-Reset: 1620000000

Endpoints

Core endpoints for dictionary operations.

GET /words

Search the dictionary for word definitions, phonetics, and examples. Supports partial matching and language filtering.

Query Parameters

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
query	string	Required	Word or phrase to search
language	string	Optional	ISO 639-1 language code (default: en)
include_synonyms	boolean	Optional	Include synonyms in response

Shell

curl -X GET "https://api.dictionary.com/v2/words?query=ephemeral&language=en" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json"

Python

import requests

headers = {
    "Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_API_KEY",
    "Content-Type": "application/json"
}

response = requests.get(
    "https://api.dictionary.com/v2/words",
    params={"query": "ephemeral", "language": "en"},
    headers=headers
)
print(response.json())

JavaScript

const response = await fetch(
  'https://api.dictionary.com/v2/words?query=ephemeral&language=en',
  {
    headers: {
      'Authorization': 'Bearer YOUR_API_KEY',
      'Content-Type': 'application/json'
    }
  }
);
const data = await response.json();

JSON Response (200 OK)

{
  "word": "ephemeral",
  "phonetic": "/əˈfem.ər.əl/",
  "part_of_speech": "adjective",
  "definitions": [
    {
      "definition": "Lasting for a very short time; transitory.",
      "example": "The ephemeral beauty of cherry blossoms."
    }
  ],
  "synonyms": ["fleeting", "transient", "momentary"],
  "etymology": "Greek ephēmeros 'lasting only a day'"
}

GET /synonyms

Retrieve synonyms and antonyms for a given word with relevance scores and usage context.

Shell

curl -X GET "https://api.dictionary.com/v2/synonyms?word=ephemeral&limit=5" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"

JSON Response (200 OK)

{
  "word": "ephemeral",
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "word": "fleeting",
      "relevance": 0.95,
      "part_of_speech": "adjective"
    },
    {
      "word": "transient",
      "relevance": 0.92,
      "part_of_speech": "adjective"
    }
  ]
}

Error Handling

The API uses standard HTTP status codes and returns detailed error messages in JSON format.

Status Code	Meaning	Description
200	OK	Request succeeded
400	Bad Request	Invalid parameters or malformed request
401	Unauthorized	Missing or invalid API key
403	Forbidden	API key revoked or insufficient permissions
404	Not Found	Word not found in dictionary
429	Too Many Requests	Rate limit exceeded
500	Server Error	Internal server error

Error Response Example

{
  "error": {
    "code": "WORD_NOT_FOUND",
    "message": "The word 'xyz' was not found in our dictionary.",
    "status": 404,
    "suggestions": ["xylophone", "zyzzyva"]
  }
}