Diachronica: Word Origins
Every word is an immigrant
About
Explore the historical journey of words, tracing their origins, evolution, and connections across languages. Discover etymology, historical forms, and pronunciation with supporting evidence and visual timelines.
What's New in Diachronica
1.2.2
July 27, 2026
Diachronica 1.2.2 is a small update around how ratings are invited. After you have spent real time with the app — several visits, a finished tour, and a few words you chose yourself — the system may occasionally invite an App Store rating. Never on first open, never from the cold-start daily word, and never mid-tour. Lookup, journey, and accessibility work continue as before.
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FAQ
What is Diachronica?
Diachronica is a reference app that allows users to explore the historical journey of words. It provides information on word origins, historical forms, pronunciation, and cognates, supported by evidence from various datasets.
How does Diachronica track word journeys?
Diachronica visualizes a word's movement toward modern English on a map and displays its forms chronologically on a timeline. It shows how word usage has changed when supported by corpus data.
What sources does Diachronica use for word histories?
Word histories in Diachronica combine Wiktionary-derived etymology with expert datasets like Lexibank, IE-CoR, and WOLD. ASJP and CLICS³ provide cross-language context, while COCA and Google Books Ngrams support usage views.
Can I find related words in other languages with Diachronica?
Yes, Diachronica helps you meet the 'relatives' of a word by displaying cognates across languages. Each displayed cognate includes a source mark for easy verification of evidence.
Is Diachronica accessible for users with disabilities?
Diachronica is designed with accessibility in mind, including screen-reader labels, keyboard controls, reduced motion options, clear states for loading and errors, and a guided tour.
What devices does Diachronica support?
Diachronica is available for iPhone, iPad, and iPod devices.
How often is Diachronica updated?
The latest version of Diachronica is 1.2.2, and it was last updated on July 27, 2026. Update frequency information beyond the last update is not provided.
What is the age rating for Diachronica?
Diachronica has an age rating of 4+, making it suitable for a wide range of users interested in language.