About the Big Dictionary

Dear Reader,

I have always loved browsing a large, two-volume desk dictionary.

The thumb notches along the page edges, one for each letter, let me open the book near the word I wanted. I would scan the dense columns for it, but find myself reading another entry along the way, then another after that.

A good dictionary answers questions and rewards curiosity.

As lovely as those books were, they are no longer where most of us look first. When we need a word, we reach for the web.

The web is convenient, but many online dictionaries feel more like search results than books to browse. They are built to answer the immediate query, not to help readers explore. Often, the dictionary is not really the product; our attention is.

I built The Big Dictionary because I wanted looking up a word online to feel less like a search result and more like opening a dictionary – a starting point for learning and exploration. It is quick when you know the word you want, but keeps the word list and surrounding entries close enough to wander.

The entries come from Wiktionary, an extraordinary open dictionary built and maintained by its contributors. Wiktionary is both a dictionary and the workshop where it is made. BigDict is made for readers.

It has no ads, and it does not sell information about its readers or pass it to data brokers. I want it to be fast, focused, useful, and a little bit fun.

I hope it helps you find the word you came for and, every now and then, discover another one along the way.

Thanks for visiting,
Jonathan Hedley

P.S. BigDict is still a work in progress. If you have a suggestion, I would love to hear from you.