Wiktionary API

⭐ Beginner's Pick Dictionaries / No Auth Required Beginner HTTPS CORS
Free to Use Varies (check documentation)

Overview

Wiktionary's API gives free access to the entire collaboratively-edited dictionary, covering definitions, pronunciations, etymology, and translations for words in hundreds of languages. No API key or registration is required — you can start making requests immediately using the standard MediaWiki API endpoint. It is one of the largest open dictionary datasets available to developers.

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Beginner Tip

Use action=parse&page=WORD&prop=wikitext&format=json to get the raw Wikitext source for a word, or action=query&titles=WORD&prop=revisions for the latest revision. The Wikitext requires parsing, so consider using a dedicated Wiktionary parser library for structured output.

Available Data

word definitions
pronunciation
synonyms and antonyms
example sentences
part of speech
Use case: Integrate collaborative dictionary data data into web and mobile applications

Example Response

JSON Response
{
  "word": "serendipity",
  "phonetic": "/ˌsɛr.ənˈdɪp.ɪ.ti/",
  "meanings": [
    {
      "partOfSpeech": "noun",
      "definition": "The occurrence of events by chance in a happy way"
    }
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    "luck",
    "fortune",
    "chance"
  ]
}

Field Reference

parse.title The page title (word) that was parsed.
parse.sections List of section headers in the Wiktionary article (e.g., Etymology, Noun).
parse.wikitext.* Raw Wikitext markup of the article content.
query.pages Map of page ID to page data when using the query action.
revisions List of page revision objects including content and timestamp.

Implementation Example

const url = "https://en.wiktionary.org/w/";
const response = await fetch(url);
if (!response.ok) throw new Error(`Request failed: ${response.status}`);
const data = await response.json();
console.log(data);

What Can You Build?

Note: These code examples are AI-generated and unverified. Always refer to the official API documentation for accurate usage.

Common Errors & Troubleshooting

error: missingtitle The page parameter does not match any Wiktionary entry.
Check the exact capitalization; most common words are lowercase. Use action=query&list=search to search for close matches.
Wikitext is hard to parse into structured data The API returns raw Wikitext markup, not clean JSON field values.
Use the Wiktionary REST API at https://en.wiktionary.org/api/rest_v1/ for cleaner data, or use a Wiktionary parsing library.
Incomplete or missing data for non-English words Wiktionary coverage varies by language and relies on volunteer contributions.
Try the language-specific Wiktionary (e.g., fr.wiktionary.org for French) for better coverage of non-English words.

Matrix Score Breakdown

🌐 Reachability 0/30
⚡ Speed 10/20
🔒 Security 15/15
🛠 Developer XP 20/20
✓ Reliability 7/15
Response Time 511ms

Fully tested on Apr 5, 2026

Technical Specifications

Auth No Auth
HTTPS REQUIRED
CORS YES
Category Dictionaries
Difficulty Beginner
Verified: 2026-04-04

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