You need to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., outlining what you plan to use the API for. If your application is approved, we'll send you an API key, which you can use to try out the API on the demo page and in your development environment.

Yes, once you've been given an API key, you'll be able to use it on the demo page. Here, you can try out all the different methods and datasets, and see what the output data looks like in all available formats.

The API key should be sent in the header of the HTTP request as the accessKey value.

The response may be sent as JSON or XML. Set your HTTP request Accept header to application/json or application/xml to select the response format. The default is JSON. The content of the entries themselves may be sent as HTML5 or XML. This is controlled by the format parameter in the request URL, which should have the value html or xml.

We have bindings/wrappers for in several languages which do the job of making HTTP requests:

• Java
• Javascript
• Objective-C
• Perl
• PHP

Let us know if you are using another language: we may already be working on a binding which we can share with you.

Make sure you're using the base HTTPS url https://dictionary.cambridge.org/api/v1. Here are some possible messages

• 403 Forbidden: You need to use a valid access key.
• 404 Not Found: The response content should contain an errorCode and errorMessage which explain the problem.
• NoResults: The term you're looking for can't be found in the dictionary you're looking in.
• InvalidPath: The method URL you've provided isn't correct.

The terms of use can be found here. You will need to read and agree to the terms of use before receiving an API key.

We log information on requests to measure how our dictionaries are being used. This information helps us improve our data and also helps us identify when data is being misused. If you store the data and retrieve it from an intermediary location, this interferes with this.

We recommend that your server makes the API requests and formats and hands over the results to your users.

If you're interested in storing data, e.g. for research purposes, or for embedding in devices with limited connectivity, we can negotiate a license for this. You should consider how long you will use the data, what you need it for, and, if you are distributing it, how you plan to ensure users only use it for the intended purpose.

As well as headwords and definitions, we show derived words, phrases, idioms, and phrasal verbs; we mark collocations in examples, include irregular inflections and grammar information, and provide audio and written (IPA) pronunciations. Information on the coverage and target level of the dictionaries is available from the Dictionary website. Click on the menu on the upper left of the home page to choose a data set. Then scroll down to see its Key Features.

No dictionary is complete. Highly-specialised fields have their own vocabulary, and technological change means some of these words come and go very quickly. We use a corpus containing billions of words of real English to determine what the most important words are.

We have found that many native speakers of English appreciate the clear definitions and useful examples in our dictionaries, and we know that the Cambridge Dictionary website is used by native speakers and learners of English alike.

The Learner's and American dictionaries have been written with a school environment in mind. However, schools have many different expectations of learning materials. If you want to know more about the coverage of particular areas, we suggest you browse the dictionaries on the Cambridge Dictionary website.