WordWeb Dictionary vs Merriam
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
WordWeb Dictionary
This app provides a comprehensive offline English dictionary and thesaurus with fast searching, spelling suggestions, definitions, and usage examples. It offers extensive word data and advanced search filters without requiring an internet connection.
- Offline dictionary and thesaurus
- Fast searching
- Spelling suggestions
- Definitions and usage examples
- Synonyms and related words
- Advanced search filters
- Bookmark and history support
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The WordWeb English dictionary and thesaurus: fast searching, spelling suggestions, definitions, usage examples, synonyms, related words - and no adverts. An offline audio version is available separately. The comprehensive WordWeb dictionary database includes: - 285,000 words, phrases and derived forms - 225,000 word sense definitions - 70,000 usage examples - 85,000 text pronunciations - Synonyms, similar and related words - N. American, British, Australian and international English A version with 70,000 professionally recorded audio pronunciations is available as a separate product. The intelligent word entry suggests possible correct spellings as you type, as well as listing words that sound the same or are often confused. Additional features include the ability to drill down on any word in a definition, full bookmark support and history. Search features include: - Alphabetical listing - Spelling suggestions - Sounds-like and often-confused - 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, and it's free. Chambers dictionary and thesaurus are also available, and you can cross-reference to both Chambers and old Oxford dictionary apps from WordWeb.
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.
- Ad-free experience
- 15,000+ premium entries
- Offline dictionary access
- Voice search functionality
- Daily Word of the Day
- Vocabulary-building word games
- Integrated thesaurus
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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
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: WordWeb Dictionary at Free against Merriam's $9.99. WordWeb Dictionary also leads on review sentiment (90% vs 82%). Merriam's advantage is ratings volume (22K vs 268) and rating (4.8 vs 4.6). On update cadence, ads, in-app purchases and device support 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
WordWeb Dictionary is free to download; Merriam costs $9.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Merriam holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Merriam has 22K ratings behind it against 268, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 90% of WordWeb Dictionary's written reviews are positive against 82% of Merriam's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 18, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | WordWeb Dictionary | Merriam |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $9.99 |
| Rating | 4.6 (268 ratings) | 4.8 (22K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 90.1% of reviews — better | 82.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 268 | 22K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 5 months | Every 5 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free — better | Freemium |
| Best chart rank | — | #9 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — better |
| Requires iOS | 15.5 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 77 MB | 238 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Antony Lewis | Merriam-Webster, Inc. |
Customer experience
WordWeb Dictionary
Merriam
User reviews
WordWeb Dictionary
From 268 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Fast and efficient
- 👍 Simple and user-friendly
- 🔒 No ads or data tracking
- 💡 Offline functionality
- 👍 Comprehensive definitions
Room to improve
- 🐛 Occasional crashes or bugs
- 🔍 Limited word suggestions
- 📏 Needs adjustable text size
- 🔀 Difficulty clearing search history
Merriam
From 22K App Store ratingsWhat 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 Dictionary
Reported bugs
2 issues- Text input field not working on some devices
- Definitions not updating with latest changes
Requested features
4 requests- Add audio pronunciation
- Expand thesaurus and etymology features
- Implement a random word generator
- Allow customizing word list display
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
WordWeb Dictionary
No in-app purchases
Merriam
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is WordWeb Dictionary free?
Is Merriam free?
Which has better reviews, WordWeb Dictionary or Merriam?
Do WordWeb Dictionary or Merriam have ads?
Which is updated more often, WordWeb Dictionary or Merriam?
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