Dictionary API
Definitions
Phonetics
Fuzzy suggest

Definitions, phonetics,and examples.

WordNet-powered definitions with parts of speech and usage examples. CMU pronunciation data for phonetics. Fuzzy suggestions for near-misses. Single or batch lookups — one REST call.

WordNet · definitionsCMU · phoneticsfuzzy · suggestbatch · multi-word
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Try the dictionary live.

Type any English word to see its definition, phonetic pronunciation, and usage examples. No API key needed.

Word lookup

Type any word or choose from the presets.

GET /define

Try a word

sourceWordNet · CMU Dict
returnsphonetic · meanings · examples
Output preview

Definition, phonetics, and raw JSON.

exampleIH0 G Z AE1 M P AH0 L
3 meanings

noun

A representative form or pattern

“Set a good example for the children”

Something to be imitated or not imitated

verb

To be illustrative of

WordNet definitions

Definitions powered by WordNet — multiple meanings per word, each with its part of speech and an optional example sentence.

CMU phonetics

Pronunciation returned as CMU phoneme sequences so you can display or speak words accurately in your app.

Fuzzy suggest

Use GET /define/suggest?q= to find near-matches for partial or misspelled words — great for search-as-you-type.

Why Dictionary API

A full dictionary in one call.

WordNet Definitions

Definitions sourced from WordNet — one of the most comprehensive English lexical databases, with multiple meanings per word.

CMU Phonetics

Pronunciation data from the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary, returned as phoneme sequences (e.g. IH0 G Z AE1 M P AH0 L).

Parts of Speech & Examples

Each meaning entry includes its part of speech (noun, verb, adjective…) and an optional example sentence from the glossary.

Batch Lookup

Look up multiple words in one request. Pass a comma-separated list via GET or an array in the POST body.

Fuzzy Suggestions

The /suggest endpoint returns close matches for misspelled or partial words — useful for autocomplete and typo recovery.

GET & POST

All define routes accept both GET (word as query param) and POST (word in JSON body). Pick whichever fits your integration.

/api/v1/define

Endpoints, at a glance.

GET or POST to the same route. Use /batch for multiple words and /suggest for fuzzy matching.

GET/api/v1/define

Define (GET)

Look up a single word. Pass word as a query param. Returns phonetic, meanings, and examples.

PRIMARY
POST/api/v1/define

Define (POST)

Same as GET — send { "word": "..." } in the JSON body instead of a query param.

GET/api/v1/define/batch

Batch lookup (GET)

Look up multiple words in one request. Pass a comma-separated words query param.

POST/api/v1/define/batch

Batch lookup (POST)

Submit { "word": ["...", "..."] } for batch lookups. Returns an array of definition objects.

GET/api/v1/define/suggest

Fuzzy suggest

Returns close word matches for a partial or misspelled query. Pass q as a query param.

GET/health

Health check

Returns service status, name, uptime, and timestamp.

GET/metrics

Prometheus metrics

Request counts, processing durations, and error rates.

ParameterLocationTypeRequiredDescription
wordquery / bodystringyes*Word to define. Query param for GET, JSON body for POST.
wordbodyarray[string]yes**Array of words for batch POST: { "word": ["a", "b"] }.
wordsquerystringyes**Comma-separated words for GET /define/batch.
qquerystringyes***Partial or misspelled word for GET /define/suggest.
api_keyquerystringyesAPI key via query param, or pass as x-api-key header.

Requests & responses.

All define routes accept GET (query param) or POST (JSON body). Batch returns an array.

Single lookup & batch

GET a single word or comma-separated words in one request.

GET https://datpaq.com/api/v1/define?api_key=YOUR_API_KEY&word=ephemeral
POST & fuzzy suggest

JSON body for POST; /suggest for near-miss matching.

POST https://datpaq.com/api/v1/define
Content-Type: application/json
x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY

{ "word": "eloquent" }

Error reference

Predictable errors, always structured.

Every error response includes a clear error field describing what went wrong.

400Missing word

The word param is required for single lookup. Pass ?word= for GET or { "word": "..." } for POST.

400word must be array

Batch POST requires word to be an array: { "word": ["a", "b"] }. A plain string returns this error.

400Missing q

The q query param is required for GET /define/suggest. An empty or absent q returns this error.

401Unauthorized

API key missing or invalid. Pass api_key as a query param or x-api-key as a header.

500Internal Server Error

Unexpected runtime failure. Check the request shape and retry; contact support if it persists.

Example error response

{ "error": "Missing required field: word" }

FAQ

API questions developers ask first.

How do I authenticate with this API?

Create an API key in your Datpaq dashboard and send it with each request as a bearer token in the Authorization header.

Is there a free tier?

Yes. Datpaq APIs include a free tier for building, testing, and small production workloads before you move to a paid plan.

What format do requests and responses use?

Datpaq APIs use REST over HTTPS and return JSON by default. Endpoint docs show the supported methods, query parameters, request bodies, and response fields.

Where can I see limits and errors?

Each API documents rate limits, validation rules, and error responses in the landing page and API docs so integrations can retry and fail cleanly.

Start looking up words in minutes.

One GET request returns definitions, phonetics, and usage examples. Pass a word in the query string and your API key — done.

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