Dictionary SDK Reference

Official JavaScript/TypeScript SDK for the Dictionary API. Build language tools, educational apps, and AI-powered text processing with our comprehensive word intelligence platform.

Installation

Install the Dictionary SDK using your preferred package manager:

npm / yarn / pnpm

npm install @dictionary/sdk
# or
yarn add @dictionary/sdk
# or
pnpm add @dictionary/sdk

Initialization

Import and configure the SDK with your API credentials. You can obtain your API key from the Dictionary Developer Dashboard.

TypeScript

import { Dictionary } from '@dictionary/sdk';

const client = new Dictionary({
  apiKey: process.env.DICTIONARY_API_KEY,
  region: 'us-east-1', // Optional
  timeout: 5000        // Optional (ms)
});

search() async

Search for word definitions, etymologies, and usage examples.

client.search(
word: string,
options?: SearchOptions
) => Promise<SearchResult>

Parameters

Parameter	Type	Description
`word` required	string	The word or phrase to search for
`language` optional	string	ISO 639-1 language code (default: 'en')
`partsOfSpeech` optional	string[]	Filter by POS: ['noun', 'verb', 'adjective']

Example

JavaScript

const result = await client.search('ephemeral', {
  partsOfSpeech: ['adjective']
});

console.log(result.definitions[0].meaning);
// "Lasting for a very short time; transitory."

getSynonyms() async

Retrieve context-aware synonyms and antonyms for a given word.

client.getSynonyms(
word: string,
options?: { includeAntonyms?: boolean }
) => Promise<SynonymResult>

TypeScript

const syns = await client.getSynonyms('joyful', { includeAntonyms: true });
// Returns: { synonyms: ['happy', 'elated', 'cheerful'], antonyms: ['sad', 'gloomy'] }

translate() async

Context-aware translation across 100+ languages with dialect support.

client.translate(
  text: string,
  targetLang: string,
  options?: { sourceLang?: string; context?: string }
) => Promise<TranslationResult>

Configuration

The SDK accepts a configuration object during initialization. All options are optional unless marked required.

Option	Type	Default	Description
`apiKey`	string	-	Your secret API key
`region`	string	'us-east-1'	API endpoint region
`timeout`	number	5000	Request timeout in milliseconds
`retries`	number	3	Automatic retry count on failure
`cache`	boolean	true	Enable local response caching

Error Handling

The SDK throws standardized error objects for all API failures. Catch and handle them gracefully in your application.

TypeScript

import { DictionaryError } from '@dictionary/sdk';

try {
  const result = await client.search('word');
} catch (error) {
  if (error instanceof DictionaryError) {
    console.error(`[${error.code}] ${error.message}`);
    // Handle: INVALID_API_KEY, RATE_LIMITED, NOT_FOUND, etc.
  }
}

Rate Limits

API requests are throttled based on your subscription tier:

Free Tier: 100 requests/minute
Pro Tier: 1,000 requests/minute
Enterprise: Custom limits with dedicated throughput

When rate limited, the SDK automatically queues and retries requests with exponential backoff up to the configured retry limit.