WordReference Dictionary vs Urban Dictionary
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
WordReference Dictionary
Access a comprehensive suite of dictionaries and translation tools for multiple languages. Explore conjugations, synonyms, and a vast forum with millions of answered questions. This app provides quick access to extensive language resources.
- Extensive multilingual dictionaries
- Verb conjugators
- Synonym finder
- Language forums
- English definitions
- Spanish definitions
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The app of the world's most popular and powerful dictionary translation website. It grants you quick access to our extensive dictionaries and forum discussions. WordReference.com's dictionaries: English to Spanish English to French English to Italian English to German English to Portuguese English to Polish English to Romanian English to Czech English to Greek English to Turkish English to Japanese English to Chinese English to Korean English to Arabic English to Swedish English to Dutch Spanish to French Spanish to Portuguese English definitions Spanish definitions Italian definitions Catalan definitions Conjugators: Spanish conjugator French conjugator Italian conjugator Synonyms: English and Spanish Forums contain over 3 million questions and answers about English and translation. Your questions have already been answered. NOTE: Requires internet access. WordReference is often misspelled as "Word Reference" in searches.
Urban Dictionary
Access a vast collection of user-submitted definitions for slang and non-slang words. Search, vote on definitions, and discover new words with daily updates. Share interesting terms easily with friends.
- Unlimited free searches
- Slang and non-slang definitions
- Vote on definitions
- Share definitions
- Today's Urban Word of the Day
- Autocomplete suggestions
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Urban Dictionary is the people-powered dictionary of slang, culture, and how people really talk. Explore definitions written and voted on by the community: • Discover the Urban Word of the Day • Search any word, phrase, or saying • Get suggestions while you type • Find something unexpected with Random • Tap linked terms to keep exploring • Save your favorite definitions • Hear words pronounced aloud • Vote on definitions • Share definitions with friends • Choose light or dark mode Language changes every day. Urban Dictionary helps you keep up—and define your world.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Urban Dictionary at 4.5 against WordReference Dictionary's 3.8. Urban Dictionary also leads on ads (none vs shown) and ratings volume (3.5K vs 27). WordReference Dictionary's advantage is review sentiment (60% vs 39%) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). On price, update cadence, 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Urban Dictionary holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 3.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Urban Dictionary has 3.5K ratings behind it against 27, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 60% of WordReference Dictionary's written reviews are positive against 39% of Urban Dictionary's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
WordReference Dictionary ships an update every 6 weeks, Urban Dictionary every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 1, 2026 and September 30, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | WordReference Dictionary | Urban Dictionary |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.8 (27 ratings) | 4.5 (3.5K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 60.0% of reviews — better | 39.5% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 27 | 3.5K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks — better | Every 2 months |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Ad-supported | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 — better | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 8 MB | 25 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 17+ |
| Developer | WordReference.com, LLC | Urban Dictionary |
Customer experience
WordReference Dictionary
Urban Dictionary
User reviews
WordReference Dictionary
From 27 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Excellent translation tool
- 👍 Comprehensive dictionary with examples
- 👍 Helpful for learning languages
- 👍 Reliable and accurate translations
- 👍 Great resource for professional interpreters
Room to improve
- 🐛 Frequent crashes and freezes
- 🐛 Buggy and unreliable performance
- 🐛 Slow and unresponsive at times
- 🐛 Inconsistent user experience across updates
- 🔋 Requires internet connection, no offline mode
Urban Dictionary
From 3.5K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🤩 Entertaining and informative
- 👍 Useful for understanding slang and new terminology
- 🤓 Provides creative and humorous definitions
Room to improve
- 🐛 App crashes or stops working
- 🙄 Politically biased content
- 🤢 Inappropriate or vulgar content
- 🤔 Outdated or no longer supported
Bugs and requests
WordReference Dictionary
Reported bugs
4 issues- Crashes and freezes on various devices
- Inconsistent performance on cellular vs. Wi-Fi connections
- Search functionality not working as expected
- Inability to delete or manage favorite dictionaries
Requested features
5 requests- Add support for more languages (e.g. Hebrew, Persian, Latin)
- Implement offline dictionary functionality
- Improve search and navigation, including ability to search for phrases
- Add user account and sync features to save favorites and history
- Enhance verb conjugation and grammar tools
Urban Dictionary
Reported bugs
3 issues- App crashes on newer iOS versions
- Search bar issues on certain devices
- Notification feature not working
Requested features
4 requests- Add ability to submit own definitions
- Implement dark mode option
- Categorize content for better browsing
- Add push notifications for word of the day
In-app purchases
WordReference Dictionary
No in-app purchases
Urban Dictionary
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is WordReference Dictionary free?
Is Urban Dictionary free?
Which has better reviews, WordReference Dictionary or Urban Dictionary?
Do WordReference Dictionary or Urban Dictionary have ads?
Which is updated more often, WordReference Dictionary or Urban Dictionary?
Other comparisons
