What is a monolingual dictionary?
A monolingual dictionary describes the words of a language in that same language. Whereas a bilingual dictionary offers an equivalent — Hund, “dog” — a monolingual dictionary gives you access to the word itself: its meanings, usage, register, nuances, and sometimes its history and pronunciation. An equivalent helps you move from one language to another; a definition lets you stay within the language.
Who is it for?
Learners, especially as they become more independent. A monolingual dictionary makes it possible to understand a word without systematically going through the language you started from, while also showing how the word is actually used. It is one tool among many for developing a deeper command of the language.
It is also useful to anyone who writes or translates. Choosing between two similar words, checking register, distinguishing between usages, or understanding a particular construction: a monolingual dictionary provides information that cannot be reduced to a single equivalent.
And it is for anyone who is simply curious. Etymologies, older meanings, regional variants, set phrases, and specialized usages also offer a glimpse into the history and diversity of a language.
The five dictionaries
French dictionary
345,015 entries
Definitions, etymology, usage examples, and pronunciation are among the main types of information available in entries.
English dictionary
616,119 entries
The largest of the five by number of entries. Entries cover, among other things, variants, registers, and specialized fields.
German dictionary
163,095 entries
Grammatical gender, inflection, compound words, and other information useful for reading and using German words.
Spanish dictionary
81,489 entries
Regional variants, phonological information, conjugation, and other usage notes; entries on seseo and yeísmo are among those included.
Italian dictionary
57,338 entries
Set phrases, morphology, derivation, and usage information, including notes on confissi (word-forming elements).
Where does the data come from?
These five dictionaries are derived from editions of Wiktionary, the collaborative project of the Wikimedia Foundation, released under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license. The content has been restructured and reformatted for consultation, with corrections made during that process. It remains available under the same license, with the required attribution provided for each entry.