Overview

Dictionary provides a comprehensive, developer-friendly API for word definitions, translations, pronunciation, and linguistic analysis. Access 15M+ words across 100+ languages with high accuracy and low latency.

💡

New to Dictionary?

Start with our Quick Start Guide to get your API key and make your first request in under 5 minutes.

Quick Start

Follow these three steps to integrate Dictionary into your application:

Sign up at dashboard.dictionary.com and generate an API key.
Install our SDK or use curl for direct API access.
Make a request to look up a word or translate text.

JavaScript Example

javascript

import { DictionaryClient } from 'dictionary-sdk';

const client = new DictionaryClient({
  apiKey: process.env.DICTIONARY_API_KEY,
  region: 'us-east-1'
});

async function lookupWord() {
  const result = await client.lookup('ephemeral');
  console.log(result.definitions[0].text);
  console.log(result.pronunciation.audioUrl);
}

lookupWord();

curl Example

bash

curl -X GET "https://api.dictionary.com/v2/lookup/ephemeral" \\n    -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \\n    -H "Content-Type: application/json"

Authentication

All API requests require authentication via API keys. Include your key in the Authorization header using the Bearer scheme:

⚠️

Security Notice

Never expose your API key in client-side code or public repositories. Use environment variables or secure secret management.

API Endpoints

Dictionary exposes a RESTful API. All endpoints are available over HTTPS and return JSON responses.

Endpoint	Method	Description
/v2/lookup/:word	GET	Fetch definitions, phonetics, and examples
/v2/translate	POST	Translate text between supported languages
/v2/synthesize	POST	Generate pronunciation audio (MP3/WAV)
/v2/synonyms	GET	Retrieve synonyms and related terms

Error Handling

Dictionary uses standard HTTP status codes and returns detailed error objects when requests fail:

json

{
  "error": {
    "code": "NOT_FOUND",
    "message": "Word 'xyzabc123' not found in dictionary database",
    "documentation_url": "https://docs.dictionary.com/errors/not_found"
  }
}

Rate Limits

API requests are rate-limited to ensure fair usage across all developers. Limits vary by plan:

Free: 60 requests/minute, 1,000 requests/day
Pro: 600 requests/minute, unlimited daily requests
Enterprise: Custom limits, dedicated throughput

Monitor your usage via the Dashboard Analytics page. Rate limit headers are included in every response:

http

X-RateLimit-Limit: 600
X-RateLimit-Remaining: 594
X-RateLimit-Reset: 1709832000