Comparison

WordReference Dictionary vs Oxford Dictionary & Thesaurus

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

Head to head
About

WordReference Dictionary

Access a vast collection of dictionaries and translation tools for multiple languages. Engage with a large community forum for language-related questions and answers. This tool is ideal for language learners and professionals needing quick, reliable translations.

Highlights
  • Extensive multilingual dictionaries
  • Translation for 15+ language pairs
  • Verb conjugators
  • Synonym finder
  • Large user forum for Q&A
  • English definitions
Features
Read full description

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.

About

Oxford Dictionary & Thesaurus

Access 18 dictionaries and over a million words, phrases, and definitions. Translate between English and major languages, explore etymology, and find synonyms and antonyms. This trusted language reference is ideal for students, professionals, and language learners.

Highlights
  • 18 dictionaries including English, Spanish, French, German
  • Over 1 million words, phrases, and definitions
  • Translations between English and major languages
  • Word origins and etymology
  • English synonyms and antonyms
  • Offline access with Premium
  • Audio pronunciation with Premium
Features
Read full description

Trusted by millions of students, professionals, and language learners worldwide, Oxford Dictionary is built on content from Oxford Languages and gives you 18 dictionaries, over a million words, phrases, and definitions, plus translations between English and major languages, all in a single app. Whether you are preparing for exams, improving your writing, or expanding your vocabulary, Oxford Dictionary is your trusted language reference. ■ What can I use Oxford Dictionary for? • Find accurate word definitions in English, Spanish, French, and German • Check pronunciation • Discover English synonyms and antonyms • Learn word origins and etymology • Translate between English and major languages • Build vocabulary and improve writing • Use the dictionaries online and offline (offline with Premium) ■ How many dictionaries does Oxford Dictionary include? Oxford Dictionary includes 18 dictionaries: 5 monolingual (British English, American English, Spanish, French, and German) and 13 bilingual dictionaries pairing English with French, German, Spanish, Russian, Chinese, Italian, Hindi, Urdu, Portuguese, Japanese, Greek, Bulgarian, and Thai. ■ How do I find the meaning of a word? Search for any word in Oxford Dictionary to get trusted definitions, example usage, phrases, and word origins from Oxford Languages. ■ Does Oxford Dictionary work offline? Yes, with Premium. Download dictionaries to your device and search for words anytime, no internet connection needed. Ideal for travel, studying, or work. ■ Does Oxford Dictionary include a thesaurus? Yes. The built-in thesaurus gives you thousands of English synonyms and antonyms, helping you find the right word, avoid repetition, and improve your writing. With Premium, synonym lookups are unlimited. ■ Does Oxford Dictionary have audio pronunciation? Yes, with Premium. Recordings by native British and American English speakers help you speak with confidence, ideal for language learning and exam preparation. ■ Can I search for words even if I don't know the spelling? Yes. Use fuzzy search, wildcards (* and ?), autocomplete and auto-correction, voice search, camera search, and keyword lookup to find words quickly and easily. ■ Is Oxford Dictionary good for IELTS, TOEFL, SAT, or ACT preparation? Yes. Oxford Dictionary provides accurate definitions, example usage in context, and a broad vocabulary range for students preparing for major English proficiency exams worldwide. ■ How can I build my vocabulary with Oxford Dictionary? Save words to Favorites, organize them into folders and sync them across your devices, revisit Recent searches, and discover a new word every day with Word of the Day. ■ Should I use an AI chatbot instead of a dictionary? Students and professionals continue to rely on dictionaries for formal definitions and correct word usage. Oxford Dictionary provides definitions backed by Oxford Languages' rigorous editorial process, not AI-generated approximations. When accuracy matters, Oxford Dictionary remains the trusted reference. ■ Who is Oxford Dictionary for? Students, writers, professionals, academics, language learners, and word enthusiasts: anyone who needs a reliable multilingual dictionary at every level. ■ What do you get with Premium? • Offline mode and fast search • Audio pronunciation by native speakers • Unlimited synonym and antonym lookups • Ad-free experience ■ Why choose Oxford Dictionary? Oxford Dictionary combines the language expertise of Oxford Languages with powerful search, 18 dictionaries, and practical vocabulary tools, all in one app. Download Oxford Dictionary today. Website: https://mobisystems.com/oxford-dictionary Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/oxforddictionaryapp Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/oxford_dictionary_app TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@oxforddictionaryapp X: https://x.com/OxfordD_app Privacy Policy: https://mobisystems.com/privacy-policy Terms of Use: https://mobisystems.com/terms-of-use

Screenshots

WordReference Dictionary4 screens
Oxford Dictionary & Thesaurus4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Oxford Dictionary & Thesaurus at 4.6 against WordReference Dictionary's 3.9. Oxford Dictionary & Thesaurus also leads on ads (none vs shown) and ratings volume (29K vs 36). WordReference Dictionary's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 10) and review sentiment (60% vs 51%). On price, update cadence, device support and iOS requirement 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

Both are free to download. Oxford Dictionary & Thesaurus sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. WordReference Dictionary asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Oxford Dictionary & Thesaurus holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 3.9. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Oxford Dictionary & Thesaurus has 29K ratings behind it against 36, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 60% of WordReference Dictionary's written reviews are positive against 51% of Oxford Dictionary & Thesaurus's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly monthly. The most recent releases landed on November 10, 2026 and November 13, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 4 level
WordReference Dictionary versus Oxford Dictionary & Thesaurus: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterWordReference DictionaryOxford Dictionary & Thesaurus
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.9 (36 ratings)4.6 (29K ratings) — better
Positive reviews59.8% of reviews — better50.8% of reviews
Number of ratings3629K — better
Update frequencyMonthlyMonthly
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationAd-supported — betterFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank—#73 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.015.0
Further details — not scored
Size6 MB122 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperWordReference.com, LLCMobiSystems, Inc.

Customer experience

WordReference Dictionary

All ratings35 ratings
Positive71.4%
Neutral0.0%
Negative28.6%
Written reviews383 reviews
Positive59.8%
Neutral11.2%
Negative29.0%

Oxford Dictionary & Thesaurus

All ratings29,337 ratings
Positive91.1%
Neutral3.2%
Negative5.7%
Written reviews1,129 reviews
Positive50.8%
Neutral8.2%
Negative40.9%

User reviews

WordReference Dictionary

From 36 App Store ratings

What 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

Oxford Dictionary & Thesaurus

From 29K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Reliable and simple to use
  • 👍 Comprehensive and best for all English, especially rare and aged language
  • 👍 Very useful for learning new words
  • 👍 Excellent reference app
  • 👍 Helps with homework or even if you forgot how to spell write or don't know the meaning of a word

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Glitchy, way too many ads
  • 🔒 Annoying popup ads makes it unusable
  • 🔒 Ads stuck in, despite payment
  • 🐛 Never connect the server
  • 🐛 Stopped working

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

Oxford Dictionary & Thesaurus

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Favorites folder disappearing after device restart
  • Inconsistent behavior when looking up words
  • Frequent crashes and freezes
  • Inability to restore premium purchases on new devices

Requested features

6 requests
  • Improved formatting and typography for definitions
  • Better organization of features and information
  • More advanced search and filtering options
  • Ability to sync favorites across devices
  • More challenging and interesting 'word of the day' selections
Show 1 more
  • Improved offline dictionary with more comprehensive coverage

In-app purchases

None

WordReference Dictionary

No in-app purchases

7 purchases

Oxford Dictionary & Thesaurus

Subscriptions5
  • Monthly Subscription ODE1 Month trial$2.991 Month
  • Monthly Subscription1 Month trial$2.991 Month
  • Oxford Dictionary Premium$4.997 Days
Show 2 more
  • Annual Subscription ODE$19.991 Year
  • Oxford Dictionary Premium3 Days trial4 variants$39.991 Year
One-time2
  • Oxford Dictionary of English$4.99
  • Oxford Dictionary of English$9.99

Questions

Is WordReference Dictionary free?
WordReference Dictionary is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Oxford Dictionary & Thesaurus free?
Oxford Dictionary & Thesaurus is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, WordReference Dictionary or Oxford Dictionary & Thesaurus?
Oxford Dictionary & Thesaurus is rated higher. WordReference Dictionary averages 3.9 out of 5 from 36 ratings, while Oxford Dictionary & Thesaurus averages 4.6 from 29K ratings.
Do WordReference Dictionary or Oxford Dictionary & Thesaurus have ads?
WordReference Dictionary shows ads; Oxford Dictionary & Thesaurus does not.
Which is updated more often, WordReference Dictionary or Oxford Dictionary & Thesaurus?
WordReference Dictionary ships an update monthly, and Oxford Dictionary & Thesaurus monthly. Most recently, WordReference Dictionary was updated on November 10, 2026 and Oxford Dictionary & Thesaurus on November 13, 2026.

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