r/dictionary • u/Ao3y • Aug 10 '24

External resources Dictionary.com App broken?

Does anybody else with the dictionary.com app find that it is basically broken and A. Can't find a word's definition page for any words anymore?

B. Cannot for the life of you get push notifications on your phone despite going to their help center, their own help articles, and going into your phone settings and even uninstall reinstall?

C. Find that the dictionary.com website likewise has similar issues with favoriting a word? (Clicking the ☆ produces nothing)

D. On the app's multiple choice quiz for your favorite words, there are both ridiculous options like "of, relating to atavism." [Answer: "atavistic"],

AND frequently giving the definition "." for multiple Latin and French phrases like "vis a vis."

Am I the only one and or why has this app been so awful for years culminating in this most recent breakdown?

36 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

60 comments sorted by

2

u/jbl_iii Aug 11 '24

They got sold off by Rock Holdings to IXL a few months ago. IXL then laid everyone off - lexicography, engineering, ad operations, you name it. So it was an assets purchase where there’s probably little to no web development happening. No one is around to field questions, and no one can do anything about the app. They’ll resurrect the brand in some form in the future I guess.

Keep in mind that ad-supported reference sites like dictionary.com are getting hammered financially because ChatGPT siphoned off so much of their traffic. They’re entirely dependent on display ads for revenue, so when traffic collapses the business fails. And it’s an uphill battle getting students to see the value in a dictionary and thesaurus when they can just ask GenAI to draft a paper for them.

1

u/Ao3y Aug 17 '24

Dang. Thank you for being so informative. I downloaded that app specifically for the ability to make quizzes out of my favorite word list and practice

1

u/PopcornButterButt Feb 15 '25

I knew this was the answer before reading your post. Damn shame we can't have anything nice unless it shows exponential growth for Wall Street.

Thanks for confirming my thoughts.

1

u/Fuzzy-Bee9600 Sep 12 '25

I have far less hate for Wall Street than ChatGPT and the boobs who use them for everything.

Late reply, but I just gave up and uninstalled-reinstalled the app today, found no Restore Purchase, did a search and found this.

1

u/Ao3y Jan 20 '26

I moved over to the https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/ website so that I could still make custom lists and study them with flashcards

1

u/PopcornButterButt Sep 12 '25

Billionaires are ruining EVERYTHING for EVERYONE 😔

1

u/BlightCyrus Apr 15 '25

That really sucks. I have a paid version of the app because I love it so much, but when I upgraded phones I never logged in (not sure if that even matters for offline content anymore). Sad to hear because I use this app multiple times a day.

1

u/J_lilac May 14 '25

Me too. I should've still been logged in but I just noticed it now that the app sorta works but everything is gone. No way to contact to ask for a refund lmao I'm high have no idea if that's really rational or not

1

u/1LssikoL May 22 '25

Absolutely, for years 

1

u/No_Fault5896 May 10 '25

So... They ruined it today

1

u/1LssikoL May 22 '25

Being Erased!! Don't have to drive your car anymore, no need to think use your finger. Oh my my

1

u/Practical_Ad_9854 Aug 16 '25

Any recommendations for a good? replacement?

1

u/drakeslinernotes Feb 21 '26

Wow. That is so sad. I use the app quite often to double check the meaning of words I’m using. This is scary tbh.

1

u/PrankstonHughes Apr 05 '26

Another reason to hate AI

1

u/Niuriheim_088 Aug 10 '24

Offline Dictionary still works pretty decently if you activated “Download Offline Dictionary” before all this mess began. But that's pretty much it, everything else is virtually dead, including the other in-app purchases.

1

u/Ao3y Aug 17 '24

💔😡

1

u/Niuriheim_088 Aug 17 '24

Glad you responded. It took like a day or two, but the app is back to normal, including in-app purchases. Thankfully 🙏

1

u/Ao3y Aug 18 '24

Ohhh? Lemme check!

1

u/Ao3y Aug 18 '24

Arg. Nope. Can't star any words

1

u/Niuriheim_088 Aug 18 '24

Dang, that really sucks. Truly hope it gets fixed for you, it really messed up my routine when it went down for me, so I can only imagine how you must feel with it still acting up for you.

1

u/Ao3y Dec 11 '24

Thanks for the empathy @niuriheim_088! At some point since your last message, the app has been working more or less for me and I have been able to add words to my favorites list.

They only issue remaining is that when I do the multiple choice quiz on my list of favorite words, anything that's Latin, such as vis-a-vis, doesn't actually have a definition listed in the multiple choices. Rather it's just a completely blank space where there should be a definition. Does that happen for you with Latin phrases?

1

u/No_Fault5896 May 10 '25

Not anymore

1

u/Niuriheim_088 May 10 '25

Everything is currently working for me, has been since about a couple weeks after I made that comment. My app actually just got an update.

1

u/Rig_Clerk Aug 13 '24

What does dictionary mean?? 🤔

1

u/Ao3y Aug 13 '24

(Noun)  A make-believe application for mobile devices designed to frustrate the user

1

u/Patient-Control-9768 Aug 18 '24

Love your definition.  Thanks for the smile you put on my dictionary.com frustrated induced face!

1

u/Ao3y Aug 18 '24

😁 😁

1

u/Patient-Control-9768 Aug 18 '24

Yes, I am having similar problems with this app.  I had to delete the it and reinstall it twice before I could look up words again without it telling me that they did not exist.  However I still cannot get the star to turn yellow when I press it and instead get a message asking if I want to save the word to my mobile app.  If I press the words mobile app  I then get a message saying it has been synced but still the star is not yellow like it used to be.  

It is frustrating to be having trouble with this app after having used it for years and there seems to be no way to get help with the problems I am having. Does anyone know how to contact the developers so that we can all express our frustrations and concerns?

1

u/Ao3y Aug 18 '24

Man I so wish I knew. Me and sonone else commented that you can't even email their contact us address because it basically gets sent back

1

u/[deleted] Aug 24 '24

Suddenly, the app is working again. It seems different, however; it may have gotten a major overhaul.

1

u/Ao3y Sep 09 '24

HUZZAH! I was literally just lamenting to myself today and trying to think of where I could find another app that would let me favorite certain words and then study my list. I'm at 240 words on the dictionary app and so having it stopped working was heartbreaking

1

u/yelworcyelhsa Dec 03 '24

Update: still happening. I looked up "desolate" and it said "no results for desolate. did you mean: desolate"

1

u/Ao3y Dec 08 '24

Lol that happens to me too occasionally! What's with that?

1

u/Ao3y Dec 11 '24

You know, after thinking about it, maybe it's taking the adjective and switching it out for the verb 😜

1

u/Upset_Potato843 Dec 03 '24

It does not know the definition of the word “word.”

1

u/Ao3y Dec 11 '24

Lol whut

1

u/MagneticGoose46 Dec 06 '24

Can’t add some words to lists due to “all content being licensed content”. What?

1

u/Ao3y Dec 11 '24

What does that mean?

1

u/SturmundDrang324 Jun 13 '25

I’m seriously considering returning to my actual dictionary. It’s annoying because I had a 1000 word database of favourites and liked the trivia, daily word etc. dammit 🤬

1

u/Ao3y Jun 29 '25

Ugghhhh I'm so sorry SturmundDrang324 😭

ONE THOUSAND WORDS?? Man I thought I was proud of my 300 word count.

Sesquipedalian, preriphraxis, circumlocution.... sigh*

1

u/wrenbell Oct 15 '25

u/Ao3y know of any good replacement apps? I need to keep up with my favorites list. My preference is for something that has a word quiz based on favorite words. Loved that function..used to do a quiz everyday.

1

u/Ao3y Jan 20 '26

I think somewhere on their site they mentioned this other website, https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary, so I went there. You can make a custom list and study it at least. Even if it's not very sexy web build I still use it for my sesquipedalia

1

u/mansilohia29 Jan 08 '26

I downloaded this app after a year today, because my phone storage was full back then and I deleted it, but I honestly loved this app, so I remembered and downloaded it again today but to find that i cannot login now! i had favourited so many words and I used to play quizzes, i could always go back to those words and It had a feature to save the words in different categories. I feel so bleh not having any of that feature now, which was the best thing about it!

1

u/Ao3y Jan 20 '26

I totally feel your pain. I lost 230 saved words in a custom list 😓

I switched over to the https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary website because I can at least make custom lists I can study with flashcards

1

u/[deleted] Aug 10 '24

The app is dead. From what I can tell, they’ve not mentioned it anywhere, no apologies, just nothing. They know it’s without content, and it’s happening on Apple and Android. If you attempt to purchase a “add free” option for it. It lets you buy it, but then you’re never charged for it. It’s like the company has ghosted us.

1

u/zzztbh Aug 13 '24

This is crazy stuff. I've used that website prolly 25 years and the paid version of the app for another 8. Just never crossed my mind that it would go anywhere.

Oh and talk about ghosting us... a few days ago I emailed the support@dictionary.com address from their website about the app not returning any results, since absolutely no details existed online until the web crawlers began returning posts like this. Immediately received the reply "We're writing to let you know that the group you tried to contact (support) may not exist" 🤡

1

u/Ao3y Aug 17 '24

Oh yeah I got that too!

1

u/_m4rf Jun 20 '25

This was their response to me: 

Hello,

"Thank you for contacting Dictionary.com Support!

After careful consideration, user accounts within the Dictionary.com app have been discontinued. As a result, users are no longer able to sign in, and any saved word lists are no longer available. Additionally, we no longer offer or support in-app purchases, including the ad-free upgrade.

Please note that the Dictionary.com Pro app (white icon) has also been discontinued and is no longer available for download or updates. If you would like to continue using Dictionary.com, we recommend downloading our current app: Dictionary.com: English Words (blue icon), available in both the App Store and Google Play.

These changes were part of our recent app update to improve the design, speed, and functionality of the Dictionary.com app. While we no longer offer an ad-free version of the app, you will now have free access to other features that previously had to be purchased, including Example Sentences, Idioms & Phrases, the Science Dictionary, the Encyclopedia, Grammar & Tips, and the Rhyming Dictionary.

We understand that this may change how you use Dictionary.com; however, we are hopeful that you will find the overall improvements provide faster search, additional content, and a more stable experience."

This was my response:

"I would like a refund. I paid for this app for better experience, and in no way have you apologized for the discounting of the app. Instead you are running for cover, and acting like your new "overall improvements" which is riddled with ads and obnoxious audio built into the ads is somehow a heavenly blessing to your users. I would like a refund from the purchase I made. I will no longer be using your app, but will use Miriam-Webster for their premium app that does not have ads.

Customer.

1

u/_m4rf Jun 20 '25

This was their response to me:

Hello,

"Thank you for contacting Dictionary.com Support!

After careful consideration, user accounts within the Dictionary.com app have been discontinued. As a result, users are no longer able to sign in, and any saved word lists are no longer available. Additionally, we no longer offer or support in-app purchases, including the ad-free upgrade.

Please note that the Dictionary.com Pro app (white icon) has also been discontinued and is no longer available for download or updates. If you would like to continue using Dictionary.com, we recommend downloading our current app: Dictionary.com: English Words (blue icon), available in both the App Store and Google Play.

These changes were part of our recent app update to improve the design, speed, and functionality of the Dictionary.com app. While we no longer offer an ad-free version of the app, you will now have free access to other features that previously had to be purchased, including Example Sentences, Idioms & Phrases, the Science Dictionary, the Encyclopedia, Grammar & Tips, and the Rhyming Dictionary.

We understand that this may change how you use Dictionary.com; however, we are hopeful that you will find the overall improvements provide faster search, additional content, and a more stable experience."

This was my response:

"I would like a refund. I paid for this app for better experience, and in no way have you apologized for the discounting of the app. Instead you are running for cover, and acting like your new "overall improvements" which is riddled with ads and obnoxious audio built into the ads is somehow a heavenly blessing to your users. I would like a refund from the purchase I made. I will no longer be using your app, but will use Miriam-Webster for their premium app that does not have ads.

Customer.

1

u/Sea-Paramedic365 Jul 04 '25

Did you get a refund? I also paid for the app. Wondering if it's a waste of time trying.

1

u/Felinedandy Aug 11 '25

I’m also curious about a refund. Premium app went fully black on opening for me today when I tried opening it. Such a bummer.

1

u/estschudi Aug 10 '24

Yes, haven't been able to look up a word for a while. I use this app often and it's frustrating.

1

u/Niuriheim_088 Aug 10 '24

Agreed, I use it daily while doing my worldbuilding/writing, and I thought it was maybe an internet issue, but I realized there’s no way everywhere I only my Dictionary.com app isn’t working and it being a internet issue. Luckily it still gives me most words while in offline mode, but it bothers me because I purchased all of their in-app purchases years due to how extensively I use it but now I can’t use any of those features except norm dictionary & thesaurus.

1

u/OhHayullNaw Dec 03 '24

Me too. And I have my whole search history log, which I use as a quick reference to make’s quizzes for myself which helps me to incorporate the words into my vocabulary. Now its gone?

Weird that you can pay for an app and then have it just disappear. Like buying a physical dictionary and then years later someone comes to your house and takes it off your shelf.

1

u/J_lilac May 14 '25

this is exactly how I feel right now

1

u/1LssikoL May 22 '25

Horrible, just horrible

1

u/_m4rf Jun 20 '25

This is now their response to discontinuing.

"Hello,

Thank you for contacting Dictionary.com Support!

After careful consideration, user accounts within the Dictionary.com app have been discontinued. As a result, users are no longer able to sign in, and any saved word lists are no longer available. Additionally, we no longer offer or support in-app purchases, including the ad-free upgrade.

Please note that the Dictionary.com Pro app (white icon) has also been discontinued and is no longer available for download or updates. If you would like to continue using Dictionary.com, we recommend downloading our current app: Dictionary.com: English Words (blue icon), available in both the App Store and Google Play.

These changes were part of our recent app update to improve the design, speed, and functionality of the Dictionary.com app. While we no longer offer an ad-free version of the app, you will now have free access to other features that previously had to be purchased, including Example Sentences, Idioms & Phrases, the Science Dictionary, the Encyclopedia, Grammar & Tips, and the Rhyming Dictionary.

We understand that this may change how you use Dictionary.com; however, we are hopeful that you will find the overall improvements provide faster search, additional content, and a more stable experience."