# Chambers Thesaurus — user reviews

> 85 indexed App Store user reviews of Chambers Thesaurus by Antony Lewis, rated 4.90/5 from 11 ratings.

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chambers-thesaurus/id342112144/reviews
- App overview in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chambers-thesaurus/id342112144.md
- Rating breakdown: 5★ 10 · 4★ 1 · 3★ 0 · 2★ 0 · 1★ 0

## What do users think of Chambers Thesaurus?

Overall sentiment: mixed

**Pros**

- 👍 Excellent tool overall
- 📚 Comprehensive vocabulary
- ✍️ Great for writers
-  crossword Perfect for crosswords
- 💰 Good value for money
- 💡 Supports free product and data privacy
- 🚀 Fast and easy to use
- 📚 Great companion to dictionary
- 💬 Responsive developer support
- 🌐 British English version available
- ✨ Well-presented and useful information
- 🔗 Cross-referencing feature is excellent
- 📱 Portable and convenient

**Cons**

- ❓ Incomplete vocabulary (missing common words)
- 🔗 Faulty linking between words
- 🐛 App crashes after updates
- 💻 Not working on newer OS versions
- 🖱️ Faulty interface (search field not immediate)
- 🇺🇸 American English focus (sometimes)
- 📚 Lacks depth for serious users
- 📉 Disappointing compared to print version
- 💰 Price considered high by some
- 🎛️ Control buttons are fiddly

**Commonly reported bugs**

- App crashes when opening after update
- App no longer works on older OS versions
- Search field not immediately available
- Latest update prevents download on iPhone
- Index broken, making it less useful
- Search only for headwords, not synonyms or sub-collections

**Most requested features**

- Switch between purchased dictionaries/thesauruses in tabs
- Sell other desktop dictionaries on mobile
- Consistent spacing and text placement across tabs
- Use MacOS built-in support for graphics card acceleration
- Display identifying headings ('Thesaurus'/'Dictionary')
- Allow changing background and text color for dyslexia
- Update to the 3rd edition thesaurus
- Visibly differentiate words with links

## Newest reviews (13 of 85)

### 3/5 — Incomplete

*2024-02-04*

I generally like the app’s functionality with some niggles. However the biggest issue is the absence of some relatively common words eg acuity.
 Also the linking seems faulty eg if a search for ‘recant’ gives a list including ‘disavow’ then shouldn’t it also be vice versa? Real shame.

### 4/5 — Small annoyances

*2022-11-13*

I have been using this Thesaurus App for many years with mixed success, more and more recently a word that I enter is not recognised. I check the spelling so I know that is not the issue. I enter the same word into its sister dictionary and it comes up . It is not as though the words are obscure, the latest was crustacean, not an obscure one I would have thought. I don’t know what the developers can do other than increase the stored words. But I suspect that is easier said than done. I will just keep my fingers crossed. Apart from that an excellent App.

### 2/5 — The faulty interface irks

*2020-11-03*

The search field is not immediately available unless triggered. It opens to a random entry and searching requires a few unnecessary clicks.

### 2/5 — ?

*2015-12-22, version 3.2*

Why is this now in American English? Also, no option to change it...

### 4/5 — Update Fault

*2015-11-29*

I've been using this app for a number of years on my iPhone and iPad without a problem but, the latest update will no longer download onto the iPhone The iPad is fine but please repair the bug for my iPhone.

### 3/5 — There are far better...

*2015-01-03*

…And much more practical applications on this market.

### 5/5 — One of the best Thesaurus

*2014-09-24*

The Chambers Dictionary and Chambers Thesaurus apps are class leaders. I don't think you can get any better apps, for general English dictionary use or for helping with crosswords.

These apps are well presented, easy to use and full of useful information.  As an avid crossword doer, I find these apps invaluable, especially when a "little help" is needed (e.g. anagrams, wildcard characters, etc.).

Special mention must go to the developers who are very responsive when contacted about any bugs, etc.  First class service!

### 5/5 — Great

*2014-06-04, version 2.1*

This app is exactly what I wanted. It's simple to use and a fair price.

### 5/5 — Naturally

*2014-05-16, version 2.1*

It's a pure companion!

### 5/5 — No complaints

*2014-04-08, version 2.1*

This and the Collins Unabridged are the only two comprehensive Thesaurus in the App Store.
I give the nod to Chambers content-wise, and it has also had an iOS7 makeover (which the Collins has not). Oh and it's also much cheaper. Therefore I deem this to be the best fully English thesaurus available for the iPhone. I also own the Oxford Concise app, but it's an unfair comparison as there are no unabridged Oxford apps available as yet.

### 4/5 — Very good ... but

*2013-11-07, version 2.1*

Would be better for some of us with dyslexia etc  if the background colour and text colour could be changed by the user.

### 5/5 — Outstanding

*2013-11-03, version 2.1*

Great companion to the Dictionary and brilliant for the Telegraph Crossword

### 5/5 — Thanks for the old icons

*2013-10-28, version 2.1*

So glad to have the old icons back. They picture the iconic book covers of the hard copy versions of my dictionary and thesaurus of choice. Personally I think they fit right in with the new look OS7.Not only that but a developer who actually answers e-mails and listens to user opinions. Thank you!

## Most critical reviews (10 lowest-rated)

### 1/5 — ダウンロードできない

*2019-12-08*

使えません。お金を返して。

### 1/5 — Broken

*2019-09-27, version 3.80*

After the latest update it now crashes when opening. It was a great app, but the update has rendered it useless.

### 1/5 — Latest iPad OS update broke app

*2019-09-26, version 3.80*

This app now refuses to open and immediately crashes with the latest iPad OS update. I’ve tried to get help via the developer website but there is no troubleshooting or help section at all. 
App now useless. Such a pity because it used to be great.

### 1/5 — Not convincing

*2019-09-04*

It’s been about 4 years I’ve been using this app however the thesaurus is not that much persuasive. I expected something more.

### 1/5 — Hhhhh

*2016-05-03, version 3.2*

Awful upgrade

### 1/5 — Paltry vocabulary

*2016-04-11*

This app feels like they just repurposed Apple's stock thesaurus and strapped a price tag on it. Very disappointed with the meager vocabulary this thesaurus offers. A waste of time and money.

### 1/5 — Not so good

*2014-09-18*

With the possibility of containing as many words and their synonyms and antonyms as Roget's with very low memory requirement this app falls very very short indeed. I've been attempting to use this for a couple of years and concluded that it's next to useless for a serious user of English. It appears to be presented for learners rather than users. 
I would love a thesaurus app which I could take with me on my iPad but I find myself reaching for Roget's more often than not as this app fails to come up to any form of expectation.

### 1/5 — Old icon is horrid

*2013-10-23, version 2.1*

Change back the new one and stick to your guns. The old icon is a typographic mess.

### 1/5 — Poor

*2013-08-02, version 1.7*

This so-called thesaurus gives very few options when you look up a word. It is very similar to the very poor Chambers Dictionary, which seems to lack many very common words and expressions. If I look up a word such as 'bird' in a thesaurus I expect to find a large list of different birds, which I don't in this one.

### 1/5 — Is it just me ?

*2013-04-13, version 1.7*

This seems to be the same as the Chambers Dictionary, and has no thesaurus function at all. Unless I've missed something, it is a complete waste of time and money.

## Most praised reviews (10 highest-rated)

### 5/5 — Excellent tool!

*2024-03-23*

Thank you very much!

### 5/5 — Favourite

*2024-01-15, version 5.6*

Buy to support a developer who doesn’t collect any data and offers their product for free as well. Nice QOL additions for the price.

### 5/5 — Surprised and disappointed....

*2020-02-19, version 3.85*

...that this excellent application no longer works on my iPad running OS12.4.5, needing instead OS13. Since it worked perfectly well before, I can't really see any reason for the new OS requirement. I hope that it’s companion, the Chambers Dictionary, will not likewise become inoperative.

### 5/5 — MY “WORD PALETTE”

*2019-08-29*

As a prolific writer of lengthy “letters to the editor”, I am often dipping into both Chambers Dictionary & Thesaurus to add more literary variety - “colour” - to my pieces. 

Occasionally I will refer to the Oxford equivalents, but Chambers has been my favourite word reference source for many years now. 

I also like the access both the apps give (I bought the apps separately a few years ago) to the handy free WordWeb app - which also offers an international audio pronunciation facility.

However, when looking up a word in the thesaurus, it would be nice to see the identifying heading “Thesaurus” (or its abbreviation) at the top of each page - likewise with the pages of the dictionary. 

When flipping back and forth, via either app, it is not always immediately obvious as to whether one is reading from the thesaurus or the dictionary - especially when researching at speed.

Identifying headings would also look good.

### 5/5 — Fabulous (like a all WordWeb’s desktop software)

*2018-03-26*

This Chambers app is an amazing app, like all of Word Webs.

Here are my recommendations to the developer for mobile:
(1) Just as with your desktop software, let you switch in tabs between all the dictionaries and thesauruses you purchase. That is a critical feature in your desktop applications and increases their value and makes it sensible to buy ALL your dictionaries. This would be a moneymaker for WordWeb and great for users.

(2) Why not sell your other desktop dictionaries on mobile? No work and more revenue, and your users would benefit.

Here is my recommendation regarding Desktop: 
(1) Please make the spacing and placement of lines of text consistent as one switches between the tabs of WordWeb books.

(2) Please use MacOS built-in support for graphics card acceleration for more natural resizing on the wide variety of displays. It looks really bad as you resize and for a business to purchase this app for this users, that raises questions of longevity.

### 5/5 — Good Support

*2018-03-01, version 3.62*

This is not only a good app but the Support is also good

### 5/5 — A must have app

*2017-12-26*

Very useful and I definitely recommend it to everyone

### 5/5 — Lost for words

*2017-10-15, version 3.6*

Never again. This and the related dictionary are perfect. Gone are the large heavy tomes that need £35+ updates every year or so. No longer the scrabble player's bible, but who cares, they are great.

### 5/5 — Superb app.

*2015-11-27, version 3.2*

A great British English version. Support for iOS 9 multitasking a wonderful addition.

### 5/5 — Bertandjoyce

*2014-09-26*

This is a great app which we wouldn't be without. There is also a great development team behind the scenes. We emailed them recently when an upgrade on the ipad caused problems with the keyboard. They responded promptly and also let us know when the bug had been fixed. Fantastic service!

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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-09-12.*