Wiktionary Definitions Scraper

Wiktionary Definitions Scraper — Collect Word Definitions, Examples, and Language Data

Overview

Wiktionary Definitions Scraper collects definitions for headwords from English Wiktionary and organizes them into structured dataset records by language and part of speech.

Filter results by language code, extract plain-text definitions and example sentences, and export the collected data to JSON, CSV, or Excel for language learning, dictionary projects, editorial review, and research.

Features

• Word definitions: Collect definitions for one or more headwords.
• Language filtering: Filter results by language code, including English, French, and Dutch.
• Part-of-speech grouping: Organize definitions by grammatical category and language.
• Example extraction: Collect example sentences when available.
• Plain-text output: Remove HTML formatting from definition text.
• Simplified definitions: Provide a list of definitions for easier analysis.
• Duplicate removal: Remove duplicate word, language, and part-of-speech combinations.
• Structured exports: Export results to JSON, CSV, or Excel.

Use Cases

• Dictionary datasets: Collect definitions for an existing word list.
• Language learning: Compare definitions across supported languages.
• Editorial review: Review definitions grouped by part of speech.
• Linguistic research: Organize definitions and examples for analysis.
• Educational resources: Prepare structured vocabulary datasets for learning materials.
• Scheduled refreshes: Reprocess word lists to generate updated datasets.

Input Parameters

Parameter	Type	Default	Description
words	Array	["water"]	Headwords to look up. Provide one word per entry. Spaces are converted to underscores.
languages	Array	["en"]	Language codes to retain, such as en, fr, or nl. An empty list retains all available language blocks.
maxItems	Integer	100	Maximum number of definition records per run, clamped between 1 and 1,000.
timeoutSecs	Integer	300	Maximum time allowed for starting lookups, in seconds.
requestTimeoutSecs	Integer	30	Maximum wait time for an individual request, in seconds.

Example Input

This configuration looks up the word water and retains English definitions.

{
  "words": ["water"],
  "languages": ["en"],
  "maxItems": 100,
  "timeoutSecs": 300,
  "requestTimeoutSecs": 30
}

Extracted Data

Each successful record represents a word and a particular language and part of speech. Definition entries may include example sentences when available.

Field	Type	Description
word	String	Requested headword.
languageCode	String	Language identifier, such as en.
partOfSpeech	String	Part of speech associated with the definition group.
language	String	Language name provided by Wiktionary.
definitions	Array	Definition entries containing plain-text definitions and examples.
plainDefinitions	Array	Definition sentences in a simplified format for easier scanning.
scrapedAt	String	UTC timestamp indicating when the record was created.

Example Output

{
  "word": "water",
  "languageCode": "en",
  "partOfSpeech": "Noun",
  "language": "English",
  "definitions": [
    {
      "definition": "An inorganic compound (of molecular formula H2O) found at room temperature and pressure as a clear liquid.",
      "examples": [
        "By the action of electricity, the water was resolved into its two parts, oxygen and hydrogen."
      ]
    }
  ],
  "plainDefinitions": [
    "An inorganic compound (of molecular formula H2O) found at room temperature and pressure as a clear liquid."
  ],
  "scrapedAt": "2026-10-12T00:00:00+00:00"
}

Actual results depend on the requested words, selected languages, and available Wiktionary entries.

Working with Your Dataset

Choose an export format according to your workflow:

• JSON: Suitable for structured data processing and application development.
• CSV: Convenient for filtering and reviewing vocabulary in spreadsheets.
• Excel: Useful for organizing word lists, comparing definitions, and preparing educational materials.

For multilingual analysis, retain languageCode and partOfSpeech so each definition remains associated with the appropriate language and grammatical category.

FAQ

Can I look up multiple words in one run?

Yes. Add each headword as a separate entry in the words array.

Can I collect definitions in multiple languages?

Yes. Specify the language codes you want in languages, such as en, fr, or nl. Use an empty array to retain all available language blocks.

What does each dataset record represent?

Each record represents a requested word for a particular language and part of speech. The record may contain multiple definitions and example sentences.

How many records can one run collect?

The default limit is 100 definition records. You can adjust maxItems from 1 to a maximum of 1,000.

What export formats are supported?

You can export the dataset as JSON, CSV, or Excel.

Are definitions and examples returned as plain text?

Yes. HTML formatting is removed from definition text, and plainDefinitions provides a simplified list of definition sentences. Example sentences are included when available.

Disclaimer

This Actor is an independent tool and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, sponsored by, or otherwise officially associated with Wiktionary or the Wikimedia Foundation. Users are responsible for complying with applicable source terms and collection restrictions.

Is Web Scraping Legal?

Collecting information that is already public is generally legal. Scraping is not the same thing as hacking, and there is no single law that bans it. The limits are the usual ones: do not break into accounts, do not take private or confidential data, and be careful with personal data and copyrighted works. A site's terms can also restrict how you access it. Facts such as a public name, price, or rating are not the same thing as republishing someone's article or photo.

This actor collects information from public pages. It does not log in and it does not bypass access controls.

For a longer explanation, see Apify's article Is web scraping legal?.