Wiktionary

Word definitions, word pronunciations and word translations

A free, multilingual dictionary with word meanings and language information.

Define word

Define word

Explain a Wiktionary word in English with meanings, examples, IPA pronunciations, origin, forms and, for English words, translations into up to 30 languages. Details depend on what Wiktionary records.

Your information

Word

Word to define, for example "schadenfreude".

LanguageOptional

Language of the word, for example "German". Defaults to English.

1 credit per completed run

The same inputs also work from your code or an AI assistant. See For developers.

Example results

Haus

German

Pronunciation

[haʊ̯s]

Meanings and forms

Noun
- house, building
- home ( in various phrases )
- theatre
Proper noun
- a municipality of Styria, Austria

Origin

From Middle High German hūs, from Old High German hūs, from Proto-West Germanic *hūs, from Proto-Germanic *hūsą. Cognate with Old Frisian hūs, Low German Hus, Huus, Dutch huis, Icelandic hús, Faroese hús, Danish hus, Norwegian hus, Swedish hus, English house. Doublet of House.

Translations

View on Wiktionary

About the Wiktionary tool

Wiktionary’s Define word method explains a supplied word in English, with examples, pronunciations, origins, and forms; language is optional.

For English words, Define word can return translations into up to 30 languages, depending on what Wiktionary records.

Built from wiktionary.org and en.wiktionary.org. Last checked Sep 29, 2026.

Actions

Define word

1 credit

Uses en.wiktionary.org.

What you provide

Field	Type	Required	Description
Word`word`	Text	Required	Word to define, for example "schadenfreude".Example: Haus
Language`language`	Text	Optional	Language of the word, for example "German". Defaults to English.Example: German

What you get

Field	Type	Description
Word`word`	Text	Example: Haus
Entries`entries`	List
Definitions`entries[].definitions`	List
Part of Speech`entries[].part_of_speech`	Text	Example: Noun
Inflected Forms`entries[].inflected_forms`	List
Language`language`	Text	Example: German
Page URL`page_url`	Text	Example: https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Haus
Etymology`etymology`	Text	Example: From Middle High German hūs, from Old High German hūs, from Proto-West…
Translations`translations`	List
Words`translations[].words`	List
Language`translations[].language`	Text	Example: French
Pronunciations`pronunciations`	List
Ipa`pronunciations[].ipa`	Text	Example: [haʊ̯s]
Accent`pronunciations[].accent`	Text	Example: Standard

Example result

For Word: Haus, Language: German

JSON

{
  "word": "Haus",
  "entries": [
    {
      "definitions": [
        {
          "definition": "house, building",
          "example_sentences": [
            "In dem Haus haben wir mal gewohnt. — We used to live in that house.",
            "Mein Großvater starb in dem Haus, wo ich geboren wurde. — My grandfather died in the house where I was born."
          ]
        },
        {
          "definition": "home ( in various phrases )",
          "example_sentences": [
            "Dann gingen wir nach Hause — Then we went home."
          ]
        },
        {
          "definition": "theatre",
          "example_sentences": []
        }
      ],
      "part_of_speech": "Noun",
      "inflected_forms": [
        "Haus n ( strong, genitive Hauses, plural Häuser, diminutive Häuschen n or Häuslein n or Häuselein n or Häusle n or Häusel n or Häus'l n or Häusl n or Häusli n or Häuslin n or ( rare ) Häuselin n or Hä…"
      ]
    },
    {
      "definitions": [
        {
          "definition": "a municipality of Styria, Austria",
          "example_sentences": []
        }
      ],
      "part_of_speech": "Proper noun",
      "inflected_forms": [
        "Haus n ( proper noun, genitive Haus' or ( with an article ) Haus )"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "language": "German",
  "page_url": "https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Haus",
  "etymology": "From Middle High German hūs, from Old High German hūs, from Proto-West Germanic *hūs, from Proto-Germanic *hūsą. Cognate with Old Frisian hūs, Low German Hus, Huus, Dutch huis, Icelandic hús, Faroese …",
  "translations": [],
  "pronunciations": [
    {
      "ipa": "[haʊ̯s]",
      "accent": null
    }
  ]
}

For developers

Call it from your code with one request. Change the values in input to run it on new data. To get an API key, open Developers at the bottom of Studio, turn on Developer mode and go to API keys.

cURL

curl 'https://api.fous.com/v1/query' \
  --fail-with-body --silent --show-error --max-time 180 \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  --data-raw '{
  "api": "@wiktionary",
  "visibility": "public",
  "operation": "define_word",
  "version": 1,
  "input": {
    "word": "Haus",
    "language": "German"
  },
  "response": {
    "format": "json"
  }
}'

What you can do with it

Check meanings and examples for unfamiliar words
Compare recorded pronunciations and accents
Explore a word’s origin and inflected forms
Find English word translations for localization research

Questions about Wiktionary

Can I run it with my own inputs?

Yes. Change the inputs in Studio and press Run, or send new inputs from your code, or ask a connected AI assistant.

Can I call this Wiktionary tool as an API?

Yes. Send a POST request to /v1/query with your Fous API key and the inputs, and get JSON back.

How much does it cost?

Each completed run costs 1 credit. Failed runs without a completed receipt are free; completed work can remain charged if delivery is interrupted. With pay as you go, a credit costs 1¢. Monthly plans cost less per credit.

Do I need a Wiktionary account?

No. You only need a Fous account.

How current is the data?

Fous gets the data from wiktionary.org when you run it. Some results are reused for up to 24 hours, and results that use your account or key are never reused. It was last verified on Sep 29, 2026.