Dictionary & Word of the Day Scraper (IPA, Audio)

Here is one real result, today's Word of the Day, with every field the actor returns:

{
  "word": "burnish",
  "language": "en",
  "isWordOfTheDay": true,
  "phonetic": "/ˈbɜː(ɹ)nɪʃ/",
  "audioUrl": null,
  "partsOfSpeech": ["noun", "verb"],
  "firstDefinition": "Polish; lustre.",
  "firstExample": "In pottery, a stone is sometimes used to burnish a pot before firing, giving it a smooth, shiny look.",
  "meanings": [
    {
      "partOfSpeech": "noun",
      "definitions": [
        { "definition": "Polish; lustre.", "example": null, "synonyms": [], "antonyms": [] }
      ],
      "synonyms": [],
      "antonyms": []
    },
    {
      "partOfSpeech": "verb",
      "definitions": [
        {
          "definition": "To make smooth or shiny by rubbing; to polish; to shine.",
          "example": "In pottery, a stone is sometimes used to burnish a pot before firing, giving it a smooth, shiny look.",
          "synonyms": [],
          "antonyms": []
        },
        {
          "definition": "(metaphoric) To make appear positive and highly respected.",
          "example": null,
          "synonyms": [],
          "antonyms": []
        }
      ],
      "synonyms": ["buff", "furbish", "polish", "shine", "wax"],
      "antonyms": []
    }
  ],
  "phonetics": [{ "text": "/ˈbɜː(ɹ)nɪʃ/", "audio": null }],
  "allSynonyms": ["buff", "furbish", "polish", "shine", "wax"],
  "allAntonyms": null,
  "definitionCount": 4,
  "sourceUrls": ["https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/burnish"],
  "aiExampleSentences": null,
  "aiKidFriendlyDefinition": null,
  "aiMnemonic": null,
  "source": "dictionaryapi.dev",
  "observedAt": "2026-08-23T12:47:58.022Z",
  "error": null
}

The most complete dictionary and word-of-the-day actor available with no API key. It returns a stable daily Word of the Day, or defines any English word you pass, with IPA phonetics, an audio pronunciation URL, every part of speech, structured meanings (definition, example, synonyms, antonyms), flattened deduped synonym and antonym lists, and an optional AI layer that writes example sentences, a kid-friendly definition and a mnemonic.

📥 Input · 📤 Output · 💰 Pricing · ▶️ Examples

Table of contents

• What it does
• Why choose this
• How we compare
• Quickstart
• Input reference
• Output reference
• Example output record
• Use cases
• Run via API and CLI
• Fetch results
• Billing and limits
• FAQ and troubleshooting

What it does

Two modes in one actor:

• Word of the Day (wotd). Returns one interesting, useful English word per calendar day. The pick is deterministic: it is chosen by day of year from a curated list of 366 words, so every run on the same date returns the same word. This is a curated rotation, not an official publisher feed, and the actor is transparent about that.
• Lookup (lookup). Define any word or list of words you pass. Each word returns one record with IPA phonetics, an audio pronunciation URL when one exists, every part of speech, and structured meanings including definitions, usage examples, synonyms and antonyms.

Every record also carries flattened, deduplicated allSynonyms and allAntonyms lists and a definitionCount, so you can build a word card or study list without walking the nested structure. Missing values are returned as null, never invented. A word with no entry is returned as an error record and is not charged.

Why choose this

• Word of the Day plus arbitrary lookup in one actor. Power a daily widget and a search box from the same tool.
• IPA phonetics and an audio pronunciation URL on every word that has them, ready to render or play.
• Synonyms and antonyms, both structured per meaning and flattened into clean deduped lists.
• Real usage examples pulled from the dictionary entry, plus an optional AI layer for three fresh example sentences at different registers, a kid-friendly definition and a mnemonic.
• Multi-language input for lookups (English is fully covered; other languages are best-effort, see below).
• No API key, no sign-up, no rate-limit juggling. You run it and get clean JSON, CSV or Excel.

How we compare

Capability	This actor	WordsAPI	Merriam-Webster API
API key / signup required	No	Yes (RapidAPI key)	Yes (account + key)
Word of the Day built in	Yes (curated daily rotation)	No	Yes (on the website, not a free API endpoint)
Define any word	Yes	Yes	Yes
IPA phonetics	Yes	Yes	Yes
Audio pronunciation URL	Yes (when available)	No	Yes
Synonyms and antonyms	Yes	Yes	Yes
Usage examples	Yes (source + optional AI)	Limited	Yes
AI example sentences, kid definition, mnemonic	Yes (opt-in)	No	No
Multi-language lookups	Yes (best-effort, English full)	No (English only)	Add-on Spanish product
Output as JSON, CSV or Excel	Yes	JSON	JSON/XML
Commercial use on a free tier	Yes (pay per result)	Paid tiers above 2,500/day	Requires a paid license for commercial use

Being honest about the gaps: WordsAPI has richer lexical relations than this actor, including word frequency scores, rhymes, syllable counts, and hypernym/hyponym trees over 300,000 words. If you specifically need rhymes or frequency data, use WordsAPI. Merriam-Webster carries editorial content (etymology, first-known-use, usage notes) that a crowd-sourced source does not. This actor wins on: no key, Word of the Day plus lookup together, audio URLs, the AI teaching layer, and unmetered pay-per-result commercial use.

Quickstart

Open the actor, paste this into the input, and press Run. It returns today's Word of the Day.

{
  "mode": "wotd"
}

Define your own words instead:

{
  "mode": "lookup",
  "words": ["serendipity", "ephemeral", "ubiquitous"],
  "maxResults": 10
}

Add the AI teaching layer (paid plans):

{
  "mode": "lookup",
  "words": ["serendipity"],
  "aiUsageExamples": true
}

Input reference

Field	Type	Required	Default	Description
mode	enum	no	wotd	wotd returns today's curated Word of the Day. lookup defines the words you pass.
words	string[]	no	(empty)	Lookup mode. One or more words to define, for example serendipity, ephemeral. Each word returns one record. Ignored in Word of the Day mode.
word	string	no	(empty)	Convenience field for one word. It is added to the words list. Ignored in Word of the Day mode.
language	enum	no	en	Dictionary language for lookup mode: en, es, fr, de, it, pt-BR, hi, ru, ja, ko, tr, ar. English has full coverage; other languages are best-effort and return a no-definition record where the source has no entry. Word of the Day is always English.
aiUsageExamples	boolean	no	false	Paid add-on, off by default. Adds three AI example sentences at different registers, a kid-friendly definition and a mnemonic. Charged only when a usable result is returned. Disabled on free plans.
maxResults	integer	no	10	Maximum word records per run in lookup mode. Word of the Day always returns one. Free Apify plans are capped at 10 per run.

Output reference

One dataset item per word. Types: string, boolean, integer, array, or null when a value is absent.

Field	Type	Description
word	string	The headword that was defined.
language	string	Dictionary language code, for example en.
isWordOfTheDay	boolean	true when this record is the curated Word of the Day.
phonetic	string	IPA phonetic transcription, for example /ˌsɛ.ɹən.ˈdɪ.pɪ.ti/.
audioUrl	string	URL of the first available audio pronunciation (mp3), or null.
partsOfSpeech	string[]	Distinct parts of speech, for example noun, verb, adjective.
firstDefinition	string	The primary definition, for a quick single-column view.
firstExample	string	The first usage example found across the definitions, or null.
meanings	object[]	Structured meanings. Each has partOfSpeech, definitions[] of {definition, example, synonyms, antonyms}, plus per-meaning synonyms and antonyms.
phonetics	object[]	All phonetic entries, each with text (IPA) and audio (URL).
allSynonyms	string[]	Flattened, deduplicated list of every synonym across all meanings.
allAntonyms	string[]	Flattened, deduplicated list of every antonym across all meanings.
definitionCount	integer	Total number of definitions across all meanings.
sourceUrls	string[]	Source reference URLs for the entry.
aiExampleSentences	string[]	AI add-on: three example sentences at casual, formal and literary registers. null unless the add-on ran.
aiKidFriendlyDefinition	string	AI add-on: one simple, child-friendly definition. null unless the add-on ran.
aiMnemonic	string	AI add-on: a short memory aid to remember the word. null unless the add-on ran.
source	string	Data source.
observedAt	string	ISO 8601 timestamp when the record was collected.
error	string	null on success. A word with no definition returns a single record with this field populated, and is not charged.

Example output record

Real record from a live run with the AI add-on on (input {"mode":"lookup","words":["serendipity"],"aiUsageExamples":true}):

{
  "word": "serendipity",
  "language": "en",
  "isWordOfTheDay": false,
  "phonetic": "/ˌsɛ.ɹən.ˈdɪ.pɪ.ti/",
  "audioUrl": "https://api.dictionaryapi.dev/media/pronunciations/en/serendipity-au.mp3",
  "partsOfSpeech": ["noun"],
  "firstDefinition": "A combination of events which have come together by chance to make a surprisingly good or wonderful outcome.",
  "firstExample": null,
  "meanings": [
    {
      "partOfSpeech": "noun",
      "definitions": [
        {
          "definition": "A combination of events which have come together by chance to make a surprisingly good or wonderful outcome.",
          "example": null,
          "synonyms": [],
          "antonyms": ["Murphy's law", "perfect storm"]
        },
        {
          "definition": "An unsought, unintended, and/or unexpected, but fortunate, discovery and/or learning experience that happens by accident.",
          "example": null,
          "synonyms": ["chance", "luck"],
          "antonyms": []
        }
      ],
      "synonyms": ["chance", "luck"],
      "antonyms": ["Murphy's law", "perfect storm"]
    }
  ],
  "phonetics": [
    { "text": "/ˌsɛ.ɹən.ˈdɪ.pɪ.ti/", "audio": "https://api.dictionaryapi.dev/media/pronunciations/en/serendipity-au.mp3" },
    { "text": "/ˌsɛ.ɹən.ˈdɪ.pɪ.ti/", "audio": "https://api.dictionaryapi.dev/media/pronunciations/en/serendipity-us.mp3" }
  ],
  "allSynonyms": ["chance", "luck"],
  "allAntonyms": ["Murphy's law", "perfect storm"],
  "definitionCount": 2,
  "sourceUrls": ["https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/serendipity"],
  "aiKidFriendlyDefinition": "Serendipity is when something really good happens by accident.",
  "aiMnemonic": "Serendipity sounds like 'serene dip,' which is like a calm surprise!",
  "source": "dictionaryapi.dev",
  "observedAt": "2026-08-23T12:47:59.852Z",
  "error": null
}

Use cases

• Word-of-the-day widgets for dictionary, news or learning apps and email newsletters, with a stable daily word plus audio.
• Language-learning flashcards and study lists: IPA, audio, definitions, synonyms and antonyms per card, plus AI example sentences and a mnemonic.
• Word-game and puzzle content: validate words, pull definitions and synonyms for hints, seed daily challenges.
• Writing and editing assistants: surface synonyms, antonyms and register-appropriate example sentences on demand.
• Voice and pronunciation features: use the audio URL and IPA to teach or check pronunciation.
• Content and SEO teams: batch-define a keyword list to enrich glossaries and articles.

Run via API and CLI

Start a run and read the dataset in one call. Replace <TOKEN> with your Apify API token.

Run synchronously and get dataset items:

curl -X POST "https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/scrapers_lat~dictionary-word-of-the-day-scraper/run-sync-get-dataset-items?token=<TOKEN>" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"mode":"lookup","words":["serendipity","ephemeral"],"maxResults":10}'

Get today's Word of the Day:

curl -X POST "https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/scrapers_lat~dictionary-word-of-the-day-scraper/run-sync-get-dataset-items?token=<TOKEN>" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"mode":"wotd"}'

Apify CLI:

apify call scrapers_lat/dictionary-word-of-the-day-scraper \
  --input '{"mode":"lookup","words":["ubiquitous"],"aiUsageExamples":true}'

Fetch results

Every run writes to a dataset. Fetch items as JSON, CSV or Excel by changing format:

# JSON
curl "https://api.apify.com/v2/datasets/<DATASET_ID>/items?token=<TOKEN>&clean=true&format=json"

# CSV
curl "https://api.apify.com/v2/datasets/<DATASET_ID>/items?token=<TOKEN>&clean=true&format=csv"

<DATASET_ID> is returned as defaultDatasetId in the run object.

Billing

• Pay per result. You are charged per word record returned (result event) plus a small one-time actor start event. See the pricing tab for current prices.
• AI usage examples are a separate opt-in event. Turn on aiUsageExamples to add three example sentences, a kid-friendly definition and a mnemonic. It is charged only when the AI returns usable output, and it is disabled for free plans.
• No charge on failure. A word with no definition, or a failed lookup, is written as an error record and is not charged. Empty runs cost nothing.
• Spend cap respected. Set maxTotalChargeUsd on the run; once reached, the actor stops emitting and charging further billable results.
• Free Apify plans are capped at 10 records per run, with paid add-ons disabled. Upgrade for higher maxResults and the AI layer.

FAQ and troubleshooting

Is the Word of the Day an official publisher feed? No. The source has no official word-of-the-day endpoint, so this actor ships a curated list of 366 interesting words and picks one deterministically by day of year. The choice is stable for a given date. It is our curated rotation, and the actor is transparent about it.

Why is audioUrl null for some words? Not every entry has a recorded pronunciation. When none exists, audioUrl and the audio fields are null. The IPA phonetic is usually still present.

Do non-English lookups work? English is fully covered. Other languages are best-effort: the source only returns them where it has an entry, which for many common non-English words it does not. In that case you get a record with an error note and no charge, rather than an invented definition.

Why did my run return an error record? The word was not found in the chosen language, or a single lookup failed after retries. These records are not charged. Check spelling, or switch language to en.

How do I get synonyms and antonyms only? Read allSynonyms and allAntonyms, which are flattened and deduplicated across every meaning. The per-meaning lists live inside meanings.

Is this an official Merriam-Webster or Oxford tool? No. This actor is independent and not affiliated with any dictionary publisher. It reads only publicly available dictionary data.

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Independent tool, not affiliated with any dictionary publisher. Accesses only publicly available dictionary data. The Word of the Day is a curated rotation, not an official publisher feed.