Overview
Collins Dictionary API gives developers access to comprehensive bilingual dictionary and thesaurus data for multiple language pairs, including English, Spanish, French, and more. It returns definitions, translations, example sentences, and audio pronunciations from the authoritative Collins lexical database. An API key is required and must be requested directly from Collins.
Beginner Tip
Use the /search endpoint first to find the exact entry ID for a word, then pass that ID to /entries for full definition data. This two-step approach avoids 404 errors from spelling variations.
Available Data
The kind of data this API exposes, based on its documentation. We could not call the endpoint to confirm the exact field names.
Example Response
Illustrative shape only — we were not able to call this endpoint (it requires credentials or exposes no public sample URL), so the fields below show the kind of data this API returns rather than a recorded response.
{
"word": "serendipity",
"phonetic": "/ˌsɛr.ənˈdɪp.ɪ.ti/",
"meanings": [
{
"partOfSpeech": "noun",
"definition": "The occurrence of events by chance in a happy way"
}
],
"synonyms": [
"luck",
"fortune",
"chance"
]
} Field Reference
entryId Unique identifier for the dictionary entry. headword The word or phrase as it appears as the main entry in the dictionary. definitions List of definition objects, each containing the sense and example sentences. translations List of translation objects for bilingual dictionary queries. audioFile URL to an MP3 pronunciation file for the headword. Implementation Example
Calls a real endpoint of this API. Replace any placeholder credentials with your own key.
const url = "https://api.collinsdictionary.com/api/v1/dictionaries/english/search?q=hello&pagesize=5";
// Replace headers or query params with the values required by this API.
const response = await fetch(url, {
headers: {
"X-API-Key": "YOUR_API_KEY"
}
});
if (!response.ok) throw new Error(`Request failed: ${response.status}`);
const data = await response.json();
console.log(data); What Can You Build?
Note: These code examples are AI-generated and unverified. Always refer to the official API documentation for accurate usage.
Common Errors & Troubleshooting
Generated guidance based on this API's documentation, not observed by us. Treat it as a starting point and check against the provider's own error reference.
Metadata Score Breakdown
Estimated from metadata — endpoint not independently tested
Metadata estimate · endpoint not independently tested
Technical Specifications
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