Report updated Apr 17, 2026
Dictionary.com: English Words
For students, lifelong learners, and professionals seeking to improve their English vocabulary and writing skills.
Dictionary.com: English Words is a struggling reference app that is completely free. With a 4.3/5 rating from 1.3M reviews, it struggles with user retention. Users particularly appreciate educational value, though removal of paid features/premium access remains a common concern.
What is Dictionary.com: English Words?
Current Momentum
v12.0 · 1mo ago
MaintenanceThe app is currently in maintenance mode, with all recent releases focused exclusively on bug fixes and performance improvements.
Active Nemesis
Merriam-Webster Dictionary
By Merriam-Webster
Other Rivals
Rating Pulse 🇺🇸
Recent User MoodAI-powered deep analysis surfacing high-signal insights. Still in beta, accuracy improves daily. For informational purposes only.
What makes this app unique?
What Does It Look Like?
How Is The App's Momentum Right Now?
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What Are The Key Features?
Access to over 2 million definitions and synonyms from Dictionary.com and Thesaurus.com
A gamified learning feature that presents random words and definitions to test user knowledge
In-depth articles exploring word origins and language nuances
How much does it cost?
- Free access to all core dictionary and thesaurus features
The app is entirely ad-supported. Recent strategy shifts have removed legacy paid/premium versions, forcing all users into the ad-heavy free experience, which has caused significant user backlash.
Who Built It?
Curiosity Media
Providing curriculum-aligned educational games and high-utility language reference tools for students and lifelong learners.
Portfolio
12
Apps
Who is Curiosity Media?
Curiosity Media operates a hybrid portfolio that bridges the gap between consumer-facing reference utilities and institutional-grade educational content. By leveraging a deep content moat in dictionary and translation services, they maintain a stable user base that feeds into their broader educational ecosystem. The primary strategic tension lies in balancing the maintenance of legacy reference tools against the need to modernize their educational gaming platform to compete with high-production-value, free-to-play rivals.
Who is Curiosity Media for?
- Students
- Educators
- Language learners ranging from Pre-K to professional levels
Portfolio momentum
With 27 releases in the last 6 months and a high volume of active titles, the publisher maintains a high-frequency development cadence.
What other apps does Curiosity Media make?
What do users think recently?
High confidence · Latest 100 of 115 total reviews analyzed · Based on 115 reviews. Signal may be noisy.
How did the latest release land?
What is the recent mood?
Recent user voice shows a upset sentiment. Users appreciate educational value, but report removal of paid features/premium access and excessive advertising.
What Users Love
What Frustrates Users
What is the competitive landscape for Dictionary.com: English Words?
How's The Reference Market?
How does it evolve in the Reference market?
| Country | Category | Chart | Rank | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🇦🇺 Australia | Reference | iOSFree | #27 | ▲6 |
| 🇨🇦 Canada | Reference | iOSFree | #72 | ▼1 |
The rivals identified
The Nemesis
Head to Head
Merriam-Webster currently holds the strategic edge due to significantly higher user satisfaction and a more stable feature set. While Dictionary.com offers better editorial variety, its declining sentiment and aggressive ad-supported model are driving users toward Merriam-Webster's more polished experience.
What sets Dictionary.com: English Words apart
Superior editorial content with a wider variety of language-themed articles and nuances
Unique 'Dictionary Shuffle' feature provides a more gamified discovery experience than standard search
What's Merriam-Webster Dictionary's Edge
Significantly stronger user sentiment and higher overall app ratings
Better-received monetization model with fewer complaints regarding intrusive advertising
Contenders
Oxford Dictionary of English
0Antony Lewis
🔧The primary alternative for users seeking British English authority and a more academic tone.
Focus on the Oxford University Press corpus and academic standards
Advanced search tools including 'Fuzzy filter' and 'Keyword lookup'
Urban Dictionary - Daily Slang
★2.5 (8)Two4Tea
🚀While focused on slang, it competes for the casual 'what does this mean' search traffic, especially among younger demographics.
Crowdsourced definitions for contemporary culture and internet slang
Voting system that prioritizes the most relevant community-driven meanings
Peers
Grammarly: AI Writing App
0Grammarly, Inc
📈Shares the same audience of students and professionals looking to improve their writing and vocabulary usage.
Real-time grammar and tone correction across all apps via keyboard integration
AI-powered rewriting suggestions that go beyond simple definitions
WordReference Dictionary
★4.2 (5)WordReference.com, LLC
⚡A staple for language learners that provides deep context and community forums for word usage.
Highly active community forums for discussing specific linguistic nuances
Strong focus on translation and bilingual context
New Kids on the Block
Highly shareable, aesthetically pleasing word cards for social media
Aggressive push notification strategy to drive daily engagement
LookUp: English Dictionary
★4.7 (294.4K)Squircle Apps LLP
⚡A modern, design-first competitor that is winning over users who find legacy dictionary apps cluttered and ad-heavy.
Award-winning minimalist UI with a focus on visual learning and illustrations
Native integration with iOS features like Widgets, Share Sheet, and Apple Watch
The outtake for Dictionary.com: English Words
Strengths to defend, gaps to attack
Core Strengths
- Massive content library (2M+ definitions)
- High-quality editorial and linguistic deep-dives
- Strong brand authority and SEO funnel
Critical Frictions
- Aggressive and intrusive video advertising
- Broken migration path for legacy premium users
- Loss of core utility features like 'Favorites'
Growth Levers
- Modernize UI to match design-first competitors like LookUp
- Introduce a stable, ad-free subscription tier
- Expand offline dictionary access
Market Threats
- Merriam-Webster's higher user trust and offline features
- Niche apps capturing 'Word of the Day' engagement
- AI-driven writing tools reducing the need for manual lookups
What are the next best moves?
Restore 'Favorites' and Saved Word data persistence
Medium-frequency complaint theme where users report years of saved data being 'in the trash,' directly driving them to seek alternatives.
Fix Premium Account Restoration
High-frequency complaint regarding the removal of previously purchased premium access; this is the primary driver of the 'Terrible' sentiment and 1-star reviews.
Implement Ad-Frequency Caps for Search
Users report being 'assaulted' by video ads during simple lookups, which compromises the app's core utility as a quick reference tool.
Feature Gaps vs Competitors
- Robust offline dictionary access (available in Merriam-Webster)
- Integrated word games like Quordle (available in Merriam-Webster)
- Minimalist, design-first UI (available in LookUp)
- Highly shareable aesthetic word cards (available in Word of the Day - Monkey Taps)
Key Takeaways
Dictionary.com is trading long-term brand equity for short-term ad revenue, resulting in a 'Terrible' sentiment profile that threatens its market leadership. To survive the challenge from Merriam-Webster and design-centric 'New Kids' like LookUp, the PM must prioritize restoring user trust by fixing the premium migration and returning core features like 'Favorites.'
Where Is It Heading?
Declining
Sentiment is 'Terrible' with high-frequency complaints about monetization — indicates a breakdown in user trust.
Rankings dropped to #100 Free (↓3) — suggests a loss of organic momentum in the US market.
Recent updates (March 2026) focused only on bug fixes and A-Z browsing — indicates maintenance mode rather than innovation.