Best Free Online Dictionaries for Language Learners

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An online dictionary is one of the quickest ways to check a word, but the best one depends on what you need. A bilingual dictionary helps you get moving, a learner dictionary gives you clearer definitions, and a monolingual dictionary shows how the word works inside the language.

I use all three at different stages. The important part is to treat a dictionary as a way to return to the sentence you were reading or the conversation you were having, rather than somewhere to collect isolated translations.

A note from the Fluent in 3 Months team before we get started: You can chat away with a native speaker for at least 15 minutes with the “Fluent in 3 Months” method. All it takes is 90 days. Tap this link to find out more.

Multilingual Dictionaries

If your language is not in the directory below, start with one of these. Access can change, and some free services also show adverts or offer paid extras.

• WordReference has bilingual dictionaries, verb conjugators and language forums.
• Wiktionary covers a wide range of languages. Because it is community edited, I cross-check important or surprising entries.
• IATE is useful when you need specialist terminology used by European Union institutions.
• Linguee lets you compare a word or phrase across bilingual texts.

How to Use an Online Dictionary

Looking up a word is only the first step. This is the routine I use:

1. Start with the sentence. Decide which meaning and part of speech could fit before you choose a translation.
2. Check labels and forms. Look for register, region, gender, plural or verb information when it matters.
3. Read two or three examples. Notice the prepositions and nearby words that appear with the entry.
4. Compare another source when the choice matters. This is particularly helpful for formal writing, slang, regional usage and specialist terms.
5. Return to the original text. If the sentence now makes sense, keep reading instead of turning every lookup into a study project.

Translation tools and AI chat can suggest a starting point, but I would still check the result in a dictionary that shows definitions, usage labels and examples before using it. This also makes it easier to learn a word through context and start thinking in the language.

Free Dictionaries by Language

The list below mixes bilingual, monolingual, learner and terminology dictionaries. I have labelled the purpose of each one so you can choose the right tool instead of opening five tabs for every word.

American Sign Language

• Lifeprint is an English-to-ASL video dictionary from Dr Bill Vicars.
• HandSpeak has an ASL word and phrase index with videos.

Chinese

• MDBG is a Chinese-English dictionary with character, pronunciation and example tools.
• Zdic is a monolingual Chinese dictionary.
• Words.hk is a Cantonese dictionary with English explanations.
• CantoDict is another Cantonese-English option.

For a larger comparison, see my guide to Chinese online dictionaries. This video shows how I used Pleco to look up Chinese text on my phone:

Czech

• Seznam Slovník is a bilingual dictionary covering Czech and several other languages.
• Internetová jazyková příručka is useful for standard Czech spelling and inflection.

Dutch

• Algemeen Nederlands Woordenboek is a scholarly monolingual dictionary of contemporary Dutch.

English

• Cambridge Dictionary includes learner and bilingual dictionaries.
• Oxford Learner's Dictionaries gives learner-focused definitions, examples and CEFR levels.

Esperanto

• lernu! has a multilingual Esperanto dictionary built into its free learning site.
• Reta Vortaro is a community-built dictionary with definitions in Esperanto and equivalents in other languages.

French

• Larousse is a monolingual French dictionary.
• CNRTL is useful for detailed definitions, usage and word history.
• Vitrine linguistique includes Quebec's Grand dictionnaire terminologique for specialist terms.

German

• Duden gives spelling, grammar, meaning and usage information in German.
• DWDS combines monolingual definitions with examples from German texts.
• LEO has bilingual German dictionaries, inflection tables and forums.

Greek

• Dictionary of Standard Modern Greek is available through the Centre for the Greek Language.
• Perseus has a Greek headword search for classical texts.

Hungarian

• Topszótár is an English-Hungarian bilingual dictionary.

Irish

• Foclóir.ie has English-Irish and monolingual Irish dictionaries with grammar and audio.
• Teanglann.ie brings together older Irish dictionaries, grammar and pronunciation resources.
• Téarma.ie is the national terminology database for Irish.

Italian

• Treccani has a detailed monolingual Italian vocabulary.
• Nuovo De Mauro is another monolingual Italian dictionary.

Japanese

• Jisho is a Japanese-English dictionary with searches by word, kanji and example sentence.
• Kotobank searches several Japanese-language dictionaries and encyclopaedias.

Korean

• Korean Basic Dictionary is a learner dictionary from the National Institute of Korean Language with multilingual translations.
• Standard Korean Language Dictionary is its monolingual reference dictionary.
• Naver Dictionary covers Korean and many bilingual language pairs.

Polish

• Wielki słownik języka polskiego is a free monolingual dictionary from the Polish Academy of Sciences.

Portuguese

• Priberam is a monolingual dictionary with European and Brazilian Portuguese settings.
• Dicio is a monolingual Brazilian Portuguese dictionary.

Russian

• Gramota provides access to Russian reference dictionaries.
• Multitran is a bilingual dictionary that is particularly useful for technical terms.

Spanish

• Diccionario de la lengua española is the Real Academia Española's monolingual dictionary.
• Diccionario de americanismos covers words and senses used across Latin America.
• SpanishDictionary.com is a bilingual learner dictionary with conjugation and pronunciation tools.

Swedish

• Svenska.se searches the Swedish Academy's three dictionaries.
• Lexin has learner dictionaries between Swedish and several other languages.

Turkish

• Türk Dil Kurumu Sözlükleri is the Turkish Language Association's dictionary portal.

Welsh

• Geiriadur yr Academi is an English-Welsh dictionary.
• Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru is the historical dictionary of Welsh.

Keep the Word in Context

No dictionary can choose the right word without context. Before you save or use an entry, check the whole sentence, the usage label and at least one example. If something still looks odd, compare a second dictionary or ask a proficient speaker about that exact sentence.

If your language is not listed here, start with WordReference or Wiktionary, then look for a dictionary maintained by a university, language academy or public language body. A dictionary should get you back to the language, not keep you inside the dictionary.