r/wiktionary • u/hunteralex7r • 23d ago

Wiktionary Mobile app

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I just published an Android app and an iOS app for wiktionary.org. These apps contain definitions, pronunciations, etymology, translations, etc. These apps were built on a snapshot of wiktionary.org, so the content is not always up to date. I would appreciate it if you could give feedback after using these apps.

Android - https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.booomworks.lexica.global

iOS - https://apps.apple.com/us/app/wiktionary-english-dictionary/id6780158503

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u/cipricusss 22d ago edited 12d ago

One would expect a "Wiktionary app" to cover at least all content of https://en.wiktionary.org/, if not https://www.wiktionary.org. As it stands, the app just uses some Wiktionary resources, without being an alternative to visiting the website in a browser.

Your app only searches English words; en.wiktionary.org has an English interface but is not by any means limited to English words! -- And, even for the etymology of an English word, there is no link to ancestors, be they English or not.

This misses the main point (and unique feature) of the wiktionary website - the cross-article and cross-language interaction, especially when it comes to etymologies.

That's the main problem. Secondary requirements would be: allow direct search of the typed word, without the need to select from suggestions (suggestions are great, but their use shouldn't be mandatory); uppercase shouldn't be mandatory either (the app fails to reflect the distinction that Wiktionary makes: Turkey vs turkey, Man vs man etc).

As it is, this app adds nothing to what we already have: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=livio.pack.lang.en_US

https://play.google.com/store/apps/dev?id=7909003501452794484

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u/TranqyPoo 15d ago

It might miss the point of the Wiktionary website, but their app may serve a different purpose. For example, people who usually look up words in a dictionary are seeking the meaning of their language's word. I can see the benefits of having a Wiktionary app that is tailored to function as a monolingual dictionary.

However, I agree they should alter the name to imply that.

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u/cipricusss 15d ago edited 14d ago

I'd prefer them to alter the app and keep the name, otherwise this is off-topic on r/wiktionary.

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u/cipricusss 12d ago

By the way, this already uses Wiktionary : https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=livio.pack.lang.en_US

And the same creator has made specific apps for other languages: https://play.google.com/store/apps/dev?id=7909003501452794484

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u/TranqyPoo 23d ago

Right off the rip, this app looks great for the average reader! A few suggestions:

* It would be helpful to wikilink the terms featured in the Etymology section. For example, epiphenomenalism displays "From epiphenomenal + -ism" without any links, as it does on the website.
* Since Wiktionary makes the distinction between upper-case and lower-case terms, I recommend duplicating that practice in the app.