Gloss · Compared · Merriam-Webster
Gloss vs Merriam-Webster
Merriam-Webster is the reference. Gloss is the explanation. If you want the authoritative definition, offline, from the people who have been making American dictionaries since 1831, get Merriam-Webster. If you want to understand a word the first time you read it, and still have it next month, that is what Gloss is for.
What Merriam-Webster does better
- Coverage. Every sense of every word, with the dates and the usage notes. Gloss covers the words people look up, plus anything you paste; it does not try to be the whole language.
- Offline. The entire dictionary lives on the phone. Gloss keeps this week’s words and your saved words on the phone, not the whole dictionary.
- A thesaurus you can browse, and voice search.
- Free. You can use Merriam-Webster forever without paying, if you accept the ads.
What Gloss does differently
- The explanation is in your style. One word, six styles: Plain, ADHD, Gen Z, Metaphor, Formal, or Like I’m 5.
- A word a day you will keep. Merriam-Webster shows you a word. Gloss asks three questions about it, in a minute, and brings it back before you forget it.
- A sentence that uses the word, under every gloss, about the things you read about.
- Paste a paragraph from a lease or a prescription label and read it in plain English.
- No ads, ever. Gloss is paid for by the people who use it.
Side by side
| Gloss | Merriam-Webster Dictionary | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $39.99 a year after three days free; $5.99 a month; or pay once, $129.99 | Free with ads. Premium $9.99 a year or $1.79 a month; Remove ads $2.99; all references and no ads $5.99 |
| Ads | None, and no free tier | Yes, in the free app |
| How a word is explained | Six styles you choose, rewritten per word; a line with the word in use; origin; close synonyms; the classic definition where one exists | Full lexicographic entries: senses, etymology, usage notes, an integrated thesaurus, example sentences, audio |
| Word of the day | One gloss every morning, with three questions; only answered days count toward the streak | A word of the day, read as an entry |
| Practice | Four games on spaced repetition, a Sunday review | Word games and vocabulary quizzes |
| Offline | Today’s gloss, this week’s words and your saved words; new lookups need a connection | The whole dictionary, downloaded |
| Languages | English, with the menus in English and Spanish | English; a Spanish-English dictionary is sold separately |
| Where it runs | iPhone (iOS 18 and up); the share sheet; widgets | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch; Android; the web |
| On the App Store | New in 2026, by PixelPaw SRL | Merriam-Webster, Inc.; rated 4.8 from about 330,000 ratings; age rating 13+ |
Which one?
Keep Merriam-Webster to look words up and open Gloss to understand them. That is a fine way to use both.
More comparisons
Gloss vs Dictionary.com · Gloss vs Vocabulary.com · Gloss vs Oxford Dictionary · Gloss vs WordUp · Gloss vs Urban Dictionary · Gloss vs Cambridge Dictionary
Facts about Merriam-Webster Dictionary were read from its App Store listing in October 2026 and may have changed since. Prices are in US dollars. Nothing here is endorsed by its publisher. Corrections: support@gloss.day.