Comparison

WordWeb Audio Dictionary vs Merriam

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

WordWeb Audio Dictionary

This app provides a comprehensive English dictionary and thesaurus with extensive definitions, usage examples, and synonyms. It features professionally recorded audio pronunciations for thousands of words, supporting British, US, and Australian variants. Intelligent search suggestions and pattern matching aid in finding words, even for crosswords.

Highlights
  • 70,000 audio pronunciations
  • 300,000 words, phrases, and derived forms
  • 225,000 word sense definitions
  • 70,000 usage examples
  • Synonyms and similar words
  • British, US, and Australian variants
  • Intelligent spelling and sound-alike suggestions
  • Pattern-matching word search
Features
Read full description

A comprehensive English dictionary and thesaurus with 70,000 professionally recorded audio pronunciations. The WordWeb dictionary database includes: - 300,000 words, phrases and derived forms - 225,000 word sense definitions - 70,000 usage examples - 70,000 audio pronunciations - 85,000 text pronunciations - Synonyms and similar words - British, US and Australian words, pronunciations and spellings The intelligent word entry suggests possible correct spellings as you type, as well as listing words that sound the same or are often confused. In addition there's a fast pattern-matching word search feature, great for crosswords and other puzzles, or finding that word you've forgotten. Search features include: - Alphabetical listing - Spelling, sounds-like and often-confused suggestions - Fast pattern-matching search (*, ?, vowel and consonant) - Filter search results by noun, verb, adjective, adverbs - Customize search options (case, derived forms, etc) No Internet connection is required to use WordWeb (unlike audio in dictionary.com). A smaller version without audio is also available - search iTunes for WordWeb. [To hear sound make sure sound is not muted on your device]

About

Merriam

Access America's leading dictionary with over 15,000 extra entries for people and places. Enjoy offline access, voice search, and daily vocabulary builders. This app offers expert word guidance with a thesaurus and example sentences.

Highlights
  • Ad-free experience
  • 15,000+ premium entries
  • Offline dictionary access
  • Voice search functionality
  • Daily Word of the Day
  • Vocabulary-building word games
  • Integrated thesaurus
Features
Read full description

Get America's most useful and respected dictionary, optimized for your iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch. Continuously updated with the newest words and meanings, this is the premier iOS app for English language reference, education, and vocabulary building. Key Features: * No ads! * Premium Content: Over 15,000 additional entries covering people and places * Offline access: Complete access to definitions and synonyms whether or not you're connected * Voice Search: look up a word without having to spell it * Word of the Day: learn a new word every day * Word Games: fun, fast quizzes to test your vocabulary * Favorite Words and Search History: keep track of the words that are most important to you * Favorite Word Syncing Through iCloud: share your favorites between devices and on the Web * For Tablets: browse the entire dictionary with a scrolling index * Apple Watch Extension: see the Word of the Day and find watch-sized definitions with voice search Expert Word Guidance: * Integrated Thesaurus: more than 200,000 word choices with examples of their use * Example Sentences: understand how a word is used in context * Audio Pronunciations: voiced by real English speakers, not text-to-speech robots Terms of Use: https://www.merriam-webster.com/terms-of-use

Screenshots

WordWeb Audio Dictionary4 screens
Merriam4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: WordWeb Audio Dictionary at $3.99 against Merriam's $9.99. Merriam's advantage is ratings volume (22K vs 11) and chart position (#6 vs unranked). On rating, review sentiment, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

WordWeb Audio Dictionary costs $3.99 and Merriam $9.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for WordWeb Audio Dictionary against 4.8 for Merriam. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Merriam has 22K ratings behind it against 11, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 78% of WordWeb Audio Dictionary's written reviews are positive against 82% of Merriam's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

WordWeb Audio Dictionary ships an update every 3 months, Merriam every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on October 20, 2026 and October 22, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 7 level
WordWeb Audio Dictionary versus Merriam: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterWordWeb Audio DictionaryMerriam
Price$3.99 — better$9.99
Rating4.8 (11 ratings)4.8 (22K ratings) — better
Positive reviews78.0% of reviews82.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings1122K — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 months — betterEvery 5 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidFreemium — better
Best chart rank—#6 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS15.515.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size244 MB238 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperAntony LewisMerriam-Webster, Inc.

Customer experience

WordWeb Audio Dictionary

All ratings11 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews82 reviews
Positive78.0%
Neutral11.0%
Negative11.0%

Merriam

All ratings22,135 ratings
Positive97.5%
Neutral1.2%
Negative1.2%
Written reviews517 reviews
Positive82.0%
Neutral6.2%
Negative11.8%

User reviews

WordWeb Audio Dictionary

From 11 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Easy to use
  • 👍 Simple interface
  • 👍 Ad-free
  • 👍 Good value for money
  • 👍 Comprehensive dictionary

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Audio not working for some users
  • 🐛 Inconsistent audio accents
  • 🐛 Not fully compatible with VoiceOver
  • 🐛 Audio can be too quiet
  • 🐛 Lacks IPA

Merriam

From 22K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Clear and intuitive layout
  • 🚀 Convenient offline access
  • 🔍 Comprehensive word definitions
  • 🔠 Helpful thesaurus and word games
  • 🔊 Useful audio pronunciations

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent app freezes and crashes
  • ⚠️ Missing words and incomplete definitions
  • 🔍 Lack of spell-check and word suggestions
  • 🔍 Limited search functionality
  • 🔀 Difficulty navigating back to previous words

Bugs and requests

WordWeb Audio Dictionary

Reported bugs

8 issues
  • Audio version doesn't work
  • Sound settings issue (app thinks sound is off)
  • VoiceOver compatibility issues
  • No sound in the app
  • Cannot play audio
Show 3 more
  • Audio not working with iOS updates
  • Bug in iOS4 version for copying text
  • App crashes/sync freezes

Requested features

8 requests
  • Include Thesauruses
  • Add phrases and idioms
  • Merge dictionaries into one app
  • Make available for iPod Touches
  • Add landscape mode
Show 3 more
  • Add dark mode option
  • Improve VoiceOver compatibility
  • Add translation to Russian

Merriam

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • App freezes and crashes on launch
  • Audio pronunciations not working in some cases
  • Inconsistent performance across iOS versions
  • Syncing issues between devices

Requested features

5 requests
  • Improved search with spell-check and suggestions
  • Ability to mark and review words
  • Integration with system search and Siri
  • Support for landscape mode and dark mode
  • Expanded word coverage and more detailed definitions

In-app purchases

None

WordWeb Audio Dictionary

No in-app purchases

None

Merriam

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is WordWeb Audio Dictionary free?
WordWeb Audio Dictionary costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Merriam free?
Merriam costs $9.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, WordWeb Audio Dictionary or Merriam?
Merriam is rated higher. WordWeb Audio Dictionary averages 4.8 out of 5 from 11 ratings, while Merriam averages 4.8 from 22K ratings.
Do WordWeb Audio Dictionary or Merriam have ads?
Neither WordWeb Audio Dictionary nor Merriam shows ads.
Which is updated more often, WordWeb Audio Dictionary or Merriam?
WordWeb Audio Dictionary ships an update every 3 months, and Merriam every 5 months. Most recently, WordWeb Audio Dictionary was updated on October 20, 2026 and Merriam on October 22, 2026.

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