Comparison

Chambers 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

Chambers Dictionary

This comprehensive English dictionary offers extensive coverage of words, including new terms from science and culture. It features intelligent search with spelling suggestions, pattern matching, and filtering, plus standard tools like bookmarks and anagrams. An offline reference for word enthusiasts and crossword solvers.

Highlights
  • Extensive word coverage
  • Latest new words
  • Intelligent spelling suggestions
  • Advanced search with pattern matching
  • Filter search results by word type
  • Offline functionality
  • Anagrams
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Chambers is the single-volume international English dictionary with the widest coverage of all the riches of the English language. Clear, accurate and occasionally witty definitions, with the latest new words from science, technology and contemporary culture. This 13th Edition reflects the changes in our language, with special attention paid to new words that have emerged, new uses of old words and the most up-to-date pronunciation. The 13th Edition includes over 260,000 distinct words, compounds, phrases and derived forms. The intelligent word entry suggests possible correct spellings as you type, as well as listing words that sound the same or are often confused. 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) - Full text search - Anagrams There are also standard bookmark, recent word and random word features. No Internet connection is required, and it supports Split View and Slide over for use with other apps on iPad. The Chambers Dictionary is treasured by word-lovers and crossword enthusiasts for its majestic coverage of English and its tradition of sneaking in a sprinkling of light-hearted definitions. Alone among the single-volume dictionaries, it preserves a rich stock of words from our literary heritage as well as covering all the latest developments in contemporary English. Chambers Thesaurus is also available as a separate app, and can easily be cross-referenced from the dictionary. Our WordWeb, Chambers, Collins and Oxford dictionaries are also available separately for Windows and Mac desktop.

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
Currently charting
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

Chambers Dictionary4 screens
Merriam4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ratings volume: Merriam at 22K against Chambers Dictionary's 13. Merriam also leads on monetization model (freemium vs paid) and chart position (#12 vs #118). On price, rating, review sentiment and update cadence 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

Chambers Dictionary costs $9.99 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 Chambers Dictionary against 4.8 for Merriam. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Merriam has 22K ratings behind it against 13, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 79% of Chambers Dictionary's written reviews are positive against 82% of Merriam's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Chambers Dictionary ships an update every 4 months, Merriam every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 17, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 8 level
Chambers Dictionary versus Merriam: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterChambers DictionaryMerriam
Price$9.99$9.99
Rating4.8 (13 ratings)4.8 (22K ratings)
Positive reviews78.8% of reviews82.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings1322K — better
Update frequencyEvery 4 months — betterEvery 5 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidFreemium — better
Best chart rank#118#12 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS15.515.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size58 MB238 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperAntony LewisMerriam-Webster, Inc.

Customer experience

Chambers Dictionary

All ratings13 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews113 reviews
Positive78.8%
Neutral8.8%
Negative12.4%

Merriam

All ratings22,135 ratings
Positive97.5%
Neutral1.2%
Negative1.2%
Written reviews516 reviews
Positive82.0%
Neutral6.2%
Negative11.8%

Bugs and requests

Chambers Dictionary

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

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

Chambers Dictionary

No in-app purchases

None

Merriam

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Chambers Dictionary free?
Chambers Dictionary costs $9.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Merriam free?
Merriam costs $9.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Chambers Dictionary or Merriam?
Chambers Dictionary and Merriam are both rated 4.8 out of 5 on the App Store, from 13 and 22K ratings respectively.
Do Chambers Dictionary or Merriam have ads?
Neither Chambers Dictionary nor Merriam shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Chambers Dictionary or Merriam?
Chambers Dictionary ships an update every 4 months, and Merriam every 5 months. Most recently, Chambers Dictionary was updated on October 16, 2026 and Merriam on October 17, 2026.
Which is more popular, Chambers Dictionary or Merriam?
Chambers Dictionary currently peaks at #118 in the App Store charts, and Merriam at #12. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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