Free Dictionary API

How to Use This API

1. Look Up a Word

Replace hello with any English word:

https://api.dictionaryapi.dev/api/v2/entries/en/hello

2. Response Structure

Returns an array of entries (for words with multiple meanings). Each entry includes: word, phonetic, phonetics (with audio URLs), origin, meanings (with partOfSpeech, definitions, synonyms, antonyms), and license info.

3. JavaScript — Word Details

async function defineWord(word) {
  const resp = await fetch(
    `https://api.dictionaryapi.dev/api/v2/entries/en/${word}`
  );
  const data = await resp.json();
  const entry = data[0];
  
  console.log(`Word: ${entry.word}`);
  console.log(`Phonetic: ${entry.phonetic || 'N/A'}`);
  
  entry.meanings.forEach(m => {
    console.log(`\n[${m.partOfSpeech}]`);
    m.definitions.slice(0, 2).forEach(d => {
      console.log(`  - ${d.definition}`);
    });
  });
  
  // Get audio URL
  const audio = entry.phonetics?.find(p => p.audio);
  if (audio) console.log(`\nAudio: ${audio.audio}`);
}

defineWord('serendipity');

4. Python — Vocabulary Builder

import requests

words = ['ephemeral', 'ubiquitous', 'resilient']
for word in words:
    resp = requests.get(
        f'https://api.dictionaryapi.dev/api/v2/entries/en/{word}'
    )
    if resp.status_code == 200:
        entry = resp.json()[0]
        defs = entry['meanings'][0]['definitions'][0]
        print(f"{word} ({entry.get('phonetic', '?')})")
        print(f"  {defs['definition']}")
        if 'example' in defs:
            print(f"  e.g., {defs['example']}")
        print()