Wordnik

Dictionary Data

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API keyHTTPSNo CORSDictionaries

Verified today: 100% uptime

Is Wordnik free, and does it need an API key?

Free on the Basic plan for nonprofit and research use. Commercial use gets a free trial, then needs a paid plan.

Price: Free tier, paid above it
API key: Required, free signup
Free limits: Basic plan: 100 calls an hour, $0.
Cheapest paid plan: Hobby: $10 a month for 1,000 calls an hour

How to get a Wordnik API key

Create a free Wordnik account.
Log in to the Wordnik developer site and request an API key.
Pass it as the api_key query parameter.

Get a key ↗

Send it as ?api_key=YOUR_KEY

Checked by hand on 2026-10-24 against Wordnik API pricing. Providers change their terms, so confirm on their own pages before you commit.

API key

Required, free signup

HTTPS

Supported

Browser calls

No, needs a proxy

Status

Live · 100/100

Overview & Architectural Role

Wordnik provides programmatic access to dictionary data. Delivered over secure HTTPS protocols, it exposes structured endpoints designed to integrate cleanly into modern frontend frameworks, backend microservices, and automated data pipelines without requiring local database provisioning.

Who it is built for

Engineers building web dashboards, mobile applications, CLI utilities, or background cron workers in need of reliable dictionaries data feeds.

Architectural Advantage

Consuming Wordnik removes the operational overhead of running custom scrapers, orchestrating headless browser fleets, or manually seeding and maintaining a local database. Instead of reverse-engineering volatile DOM layouts or dealing with anti-bot IP blocks, your application connects directly to a standardized JSON interface designed for backend ingestion with consistent schema schemas. Dedicated authentication ensures rate quotas and credential tracking per project environment.

What our checks found

Health score: 100/100
Reliability: 100%
Average latency: 1914ms

Last checked 2026-10-24. Measured independently, not self-reported by the provider.

Core Use Cases & Architecture Ideas

Practical real-world patterns for integrating Wordnik into software systems.

Automated SaaS Feature Integration

Embed data and functionality from Wordnik directly into application onboarding, profile enrichment, or reporting dashboards.

Architecture: Backend service worker fetches Wordnik during user workflows, caches responses in Redis, and hydrates UI state.

Scheduled Reporting & Monitoring Bot

Periodically extract updates from Wordnik to generate daily digests, analytics reports, or Slack notifications.

Architecture: A scheduled GitHub Action or cron worker executes a lightweight script calling Wordnik, formatting markdown summaries for stakeholders.

Rapid Prototyping & Hackathon Showcase

Provide real-world mock data and operational endpoints for client demos, portfolio apps, or MVP validation.

Architecture: Static client SPA queries Wordnik directly to populate mock dashboards, graphs, and interactive UI states without a custom backend.

Code Implementation Examples

Production-ready starting templates with error handling for Wordnik.

// Requires an API key. Check the docs for whether it goes in a header or a query parameter.
// Modern native fetch with error handling
async function callApi() {
  try {
    const response = await fetch('https://developer.wordnik.com/api/v1/resource', {
      method: 'GET',
    headers: {
      'Authorization': 'Bearer YOUR_API_KEY',
      Accept: 'application/json',
    },
    });

    if (!response.ok) {
      throw new Error(`HTTP ${response.status}: ${response.statusText}`);
    }

    const data = await response.json();
    console.log('Response payload:', data);
    return data;
  } catch (error) {
    console.error('API request failed:', error);
    throw error;
  }
}

// callApi();

This API does not send CORS headers, so a browser will block a direct call from your front end. Call it from your server, or put a small proxy in front of it.

Response Payload & Live Testing

Inspect the expected JSON structure returned by Wordnik.

Expected JSON Response Payload

Authentic sample payload structure to evaluate schema attributes before integration.

{
  "status": 200,
  "api": "Wordnik",
  "endpoint": "/wordnik",
  "data": {
    "id": 101,
    "title": "Wordnik Sample Payload",
    "description": "Dictionary Data",
    "verified": true,
    "category": "Dictionaries",
    "updated_at": "2026-10-24T07:40:09.547Z"
  },
  "meta": {
    "response_time_ms": 1914,
    "cached": false
  }
}

Format: application/json

Integration Considerations & Best Practices

Technical factors to keep in mind when integrating Wordnik into production environments.

Implement In-Memory or Edge Caching

Avoid triggering rate limits on public feeds by caching response payloads in Redis, Vercel KV, or standard HTTP Cache-Control headers with a 5-to-15 minute TTL.

Shield Credentials in Backend Route Handlers

Never expose private API keys in client-side JavaScript or bundle environments. Proxy requests through a Next.js API route or serverless backend to keep secret keys out of public DevTools inspection.

CORS Proxy Required for Browser Frontend Calls

This API does not send Access-Control-Allow-Origin response headers. Direct fetch() calls from browser JavaScript will fail due to Same-Origin Policy. Route your calls through a server backend or lightweight edge proxy.

Validate HTTP Status Before Parsing JSON

Always inspect response.ok before executing response.json(). Upstream services returning 4xx or 502 Bad Gateway often serve HTML error pages, which cause syntax errors when parsed as JSON.

Where this listing comes from

Bilingual Dictionary and Thesaurus Data

API keyHTTPS

Verified today: 100% uptime

View Details

Wordnik — common questions

Answered from what our own scheduled checks found, not from the provider's marketing.

Is the Wordnik API free?

Free on the Basic plan for nonprofit and research use. Commercial use gets a free trial, then needs a paid plan. The cheapest paid plan: Hobby: $10 a month for 1,000 calls an hour. Checked on 2026-10-24.

Does Wordnik need an API key?

Yes, and it is free: you get one by signing up. Send it as ?api_key=YOUR_KEY.

How do I get a Wordnik API key?

1. Create a free Wordnik account. 2. Log in to the Wordnik developer site and request an API key. 3. Pass it as the api_key query parameter.

What are the Wordnik API rate limits?

Basic plan: 100 calls an hour, $0.

Can I call Wordnik from browser JavaScript?

Not directly. Wordnik did not return CORS headers when we checked, so the browser will block your page from reading the response even though the request itself succeeds. Call it from a server, or put a small proxy in front of it.

Is Wordnik still working?

Yes, as of 2026-10-24. Our automated check reached Wordnik and recorded a 100% reliability score with a median response time of 1914 ms. We re-check on a schedule, and this page updates with the result.