Comparison

Etymonline English Dictionary vs Flashword

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

Head to head
About

Etymonline English Dictionary

Explore the origins and history of English words with this comprehensive dictionary app. It offers instant search, related word suggestions, and an offline mode for premium users. Enhance your vocabulary and understanding of word roots.

Highlights
  • Word origin exploration
  • Instant search with suggestions
  • Related words by root
  • Offline dictionary (Premium)
  • Ad-free experience (Premium)
Features
Read full description

The official, complete app of Douglas Harper's Online Etymology Dictionary, with useful features to help you understand the origins of words as well as improve your vocabulary. • From etymonline.com, the internet's top choice for quick, reliable, comprehensive yet comprehensible English word origins • Instantaneous search with spelling suggestions works fast on your iPhones • Offline Dictionary - find out word origins anytime, anywhere (Premium only) • Universal app - works on your iPhones and iPads • Related Words - easily access words that share the same origin/root. For example, you can check out all the words with root –logy, such as agriology, anthropology, biology, cardiology, choreology, Christology, chronology, cosmology, etc. Get even more with ETYMONLINE PREMIUM: • No Ads - Enjoy a calm, ad-free reading environment • Offline dictionary - Search and view etymology without the need of an internet connection - Privacy Policy: https://www.etymonline.com/legal/privacy - Terms of Use: https://www.etymonline.com/legal/terms

About

Flashword

Easily save new words you encounter, look them up in system dictionaries, and add personal notes for context or translation. Organize your vocabulary into custom categories for efficient learning and retention.

Highlights
  • Save new words
  • System dictionary lookups
  • Personal notes for words
  • Categorize saved words
  • Organize vocabulary
Features
Read full description

Ever heard a word you did not know, looked it up, and then quickly forgot about it? If that is the case, Flashword comes to the rescue! With Flashword, you can save new words you hear or learn in any way. You can look them up using the system's dictionaries and you can take notes for every word, maybe to jot down a translation, maybe to remember the context you first heard that word in, maybe to highlight interesting use cases. You can also divide the words into categories of your choosing to quickly organize the words you save!

Screenshots

Etymonline English Dictionary4 screens
Flashword4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Flashword at none against Etymonline English Dictionary's shown. Etymonline English Dictionary's advantage is ratings volume (12K vs 9) and rating (4.9 vs 4.7). On price, review sentiment, update cadence and in-app purchases 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. Etymonline English Dictionary sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and Flashword sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Etymonline English Dictionary holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Etymonline English Dictionary has 12K ratings behind it against 9, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 94% of Etymonline English Dictionary's written reviews are positive against 100% of Flashword's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Etymonline English Dictionary ships an update every 9 days, Flashword every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Etymonline English Dictionary versus Flashword: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterEtymonline English DictionaryFlashword
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.9 (12K ratings) — better4.7 (9 ratings)
Positive reviews94.2% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings12K — better9
Update frequencyEvery 9 days — betterEvery 2 weeks
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch
Requires iOS15.0 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size64 MB20 MB
Age rating12+4+
Developer崇伟 柳Alessio Mason

Customer experience

Etymonline English Dictionary

All ratings11,697 ratings
Positive98.8%
Neutral0.5%
Negative0.7%
Written reviews274 reviews
Positive94.2%
Neutral1.8%
Negative4.0%

Flashword

All ratings5 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Etymonline English Dictionary

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Bottom of related words list cut off
  • Search bar not always visible
  • App version not compatible with dark mode

Requested features

3 requests
  • Dark mode option
  • Offline access to full entries
  • One-time purchase option instead of subscription

Flashword

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Etymonline English Dictionary

Subscriptions3
  • Etymonline Premium 1 Month7 Days trial$4.991 Month
  • Etymonline Premium 6 Months14 Days trial$13.996 Months
  • Etymonline Premium 12 Months1 Month trial$17.991 Year
1 purchases

Flashword

One-time1
  • Small tip$0.99

Questions

Is Etymonline English Dictionary free?
Etymonline English Dictionary is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Flashword free?
Flashword is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Etymonline English Dictionary or Flashword?
Etymonline English Dictionary is rated higher. Etymonline English Dictionary averages 4.9 out of 5 from 12K ratings, while Flashword averages 4.7 from 9 ratings.
Do Etymonline English Dictionary or Flashword have ads?
Etymonline English Dictionary shows ads; Flashword does not.
Which is updated more often, Etymonline English Dictionary or Flashword?
Etymonline English Dictionary ships an update every 9 days, and Flashword every 2 weeks. Most recently, Etymonline English Dictionary was updated on October 31, 2026 and Flashword on October 24, 2026.

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