Introduction
At Dictionary, we are committed to protecting your privacy while delivering a powerful, personalized language-learning experience. We only collect information that is necessary to operate, maintain, and improve our services. We do not sell your personal data to third parties.
This policy applies to the Dictionary web application, mobile apps, browser extensions, and related services. By using our platform, you consent to the practices described here.
What Information We Collect
We collect information in several categories to ensure our service functions correctly and meets your needs:
1. Account & Profile Information
- Email address, username, and optional display name
- Profile preferences (selected languages, learning goals, notification settings)
- Subscription and billing details (processed securely by our payment providers)
2. Usage & Interaction Data
- Words searched, definitions viewed, and examples explored
- Favorites, saved collections, and custom word lists
- Feature usage patterns (pronunciation plays, synonym lookups, translation requests)
- Session duration and frequency of use
3. Device & Technical Information
- IP address, browser type, operating system, and device identifiers
- Approximate location (used to optimize content delivery and language defaults)
- Crash logs, performance metrics, and diagnostic data
Note: We never collect sensitive information such as government IDs, financial account numbers, or biometric data. All collection is limited to what is necessary for service delivery and improvement.
How We Use Your Information
The data we collect serves specific, transparent purposes:
- Service Operation: To authenticate your account, maintain your word lists, and deliver real-time search results.
- Personalization: To tailor language suggestions, save your preferences, and remember your learning progress.
- Improvement & Development: To identify trending words, fix bugs, optimize performance, and develop new features.
- Security & Compliance: To prevent fraud, monitor for abuse, and comply with legal obligations.
- Communication: To send service updates, security alerts, and optional newsletters (only if you opt in).
We may aggregate and anonymize usage data for research and product analytics. Aggregated data cannot be traced back to you as an individual.
Security & Data Protection
We implement industry-standard safeguards to protect your information:
- End-to-end encryption (TLS 1.3) for all data in transit
- AES-256 encryption for data at rest
- Regular third-party security audits and penetration testing
- Strict access controls and employee confidentiality agreements
- Automated backups and disaster recovery protocols
In the unlikely event of a data breach affecting your personal information, we will notify you promptly in accordance with applicable laws.
Your Rights & Choices
You maintain control over your data at all times:
- Access & Export: Download a copy of your saved words, lists, and account data at any time via Settings → Data Export.
- Correction & Deletion: Update your profile information or request full account deletion through the app or by contacting support.
- Opt-Out: Manage marketing communications via email preferences. You may also opt out of non-essential analytics cookies through our cookie banner.
- Regional Rights: Users in the EU, UK, and California are entitled to additional rights under GDPR and CCPA, including data portability and objection to processing.
Deleting your account will permanently remove your personal data from our active systems within 30 days, as required by law.
Contact Us
If you have questions about this policy, your data, or how we handle your information, please reach out:
- Email: privacy@dictionary.app
- Support Center: support.dictionary.app
- Mail: Dictionary Inc., Privacy Department, 100 Language Way, Suite 400, San Francisco, CA 94107
We respond to all privacy-related inquiries within 5 business days.