Gloss · Guides · The best dictionary apps for iPhone in 2026

Compared

The best dictionary apps for iPhone in 2026.

The best dictionary app for most people is still Merriam-Webster: the most complete entries, free, with ads you can remove for $2.99. The best one with no ads for one payment is Merriam-Webster Dictionary+ ($9.99). If you want a dictionary that explains a word rather than defines it, that is what Gloss is for. Here are eight, compared on what they cost, whether they carry ads, and who each one suits.

By the Gloss team, PixelPaw · Published October 24, 2026 · How we check what we write

How we compared them

We read each app’s US App Store listing on October 24, 2026: price, in-app purchases, whether the listing says Contains Advertising, the rating and how many people gave it, and what the most recent reviews praise and complain about. We did not score them on a rubric, because people want different things from a dictionary. A student writing an essay, a parent reading to a child, a non-native speaker and a crossword solver are not looking for the same app. The table says what each is best at and what the catch is; the notes below say who should pick it.

Merriam-Webster: the reference

If you want the fullest answer to “what does this word mean,” this is it: every sense, the first known use, usage notes, a word of the day with a podcast, and a thesaurus. It is free with ads; Remove Ads is a one-time $2.99, and Premium ($9.99 a year) adds specialist dictionaries. The reviews’ main complaint is the ads in the free version (the review-mining counts list “intrusive ads” first). If you look words up a few times a week and want the definitive entry, pay the $2.99 and stop reading here.

Merriam-Webster Dictionary+: the same thing, paid once

A separate app with the same dictionary, no ads, for $9.99 once. It has 22,000 ratings at 4.8 and an older design. The right choice for someone who dislikes subscriptions and wants a dictionary that behaves like a book.

Dictionary.com: free, and read the fine print

The free app most people know, with a thesaurus and a word of the day, and 328,000 ratings. Two things happened in July 2025 that its listing does not mention: it deleted all user accounts and saved word lists, and it removed its ad-free Pro tier (reported by Ars Technica and Slashdot, July 17, 2025). Support told users the lists could not be recovered. It is still a good free dictionary; it is no longer a place to keep your words.

Oxford Dictionary & Thesaurus: etymology and offline

MobiSystems’ Oxford app leads with word origins and offline use, which is a real reason to choose it on a flight or abroad. The thesaurus and the pronunciation audio are behind Premium ($19.99 a year, or $39.99 once), and the free version carries ads and pop-ups that the reviews mention. 29,000 ratings at 4.6, the lowest of the big names.

Dictionary. by TheFreeDictionary: everything in one place

Farlex bundles medical, legal, financial and idiom dictionaries with a thesaurus and a word of the day, free with ads ($5.99 to remove them). It is the one for someone who wants breadth. Reviews call it crowded, and if all you want is a simple definition the breadth gets in the way.

LookUp: the designer’s dictionary

LookUp is the dictionary people recommend for how it looks: a word of the day as a card, illustrated collections, a vocabulary builder, Shortcuts support. Most of that is in LookUp+ ($29.99 a year or $59.99 once). 3,100 ratings at 4.7. If you care about design and want a dictionary first and a vocabulary tool second, LookUp and Gloss are the two to try.

Power Thesaurus: when you only need synonyms

Not a dictionary but worth a place here, because many people who search for a dictionary app want a thesaurus. Power Thesaurus is crowd-built, with long lists and votes, free with ads (PRO $29.99 a year). The lists are long and the differences between the words are not explained; which to use when is a question it leaves to you.

Gloss: the explanation, not the definition

Gloss is ours, so read this part with that in mind. It explains a word the way a well-read friend would: in plain English, or in the style you choose (ADHD puts the point first; Gen Z says it the way your friends would; Like I’m 5 uses no long words to explain the long word), with a sentence you can picture, the origin, the synonyms with a line on how each differs, and the classic definition when you want it. It sends one word a day chosen for your level and brings it back with four short games. No ads. It is paid after three free days, it is iPhone only, and it is new, so it has none of the ratings the others have. It is the right choice if you look words up to understand what you read, and want to keep them; the wrong one if you want a complete reference for a dollar.

Which one, in one line each

• The complete reference, cheap: Merriam-Webster with Remove Ads.
• No ads, no subscription: Merriam-Webster Dictionary+.
• Free and familiar, nothing saved: Dictionary.com.
• Offline and origins: Oxford.
• Every kind of dictionary at once: Farlex.
• Design first: LookUp.
• Synonyms only: Power Thesaurus.
• Understanding and keeping words: Gloss.

We wrote longer, app-by-app comparisons too, each with what the other app does better: Gloss vs Merriam-Webster, Gloss vs Dictionary.com, Gloss vs Oxford, and four more.

Facts about other apps were read from their US App Store listings on October 24, 2026: prices in US dollars, ratings and counts as the store showed them. Prices and features change; if something here is out of date, write to us and we will fix it. Gloss is made by the people who wrote this page, so weigh what we say about it accordingly.

Keep reading

The best word of the day apps for iPhone · Dictionary apps without ads, and what each one costs · Dictionary, thesaurus or glossary: which one you actually need · All guides