About PlainSpell, Multi-Language Word Reference

Our Mission

We believe language tools should be free, comprehensive, and built on open data. Commercial dictionaries charge subscriptions or bury useful features behind paywalls. Wiktionary, the largest open dictionary in the world, has the data, but its wiki interface was not designed for quick lookups, side-by-side language comparison, or discovering spelling patterns across languages.

PlainSpell closes that gap. We take Wiktionary's structured data and present it in a fast, searchable format with features most dictionaries skip: confusable pair explanations (like affect vs effect), homophone groups (words that sound identical but differ in spelling), and misspelling corrections. Five languages, millions of words, no accounts or paywalls.

PlainSpell is a free multi-language word reference covering English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German. Every entry includes definitions, IPA pronunciations, part-of-speech tags, etymology, and usage examples, where available.

Our Data

All word data comes from Wiktionary, the free, collaborative dictionary maintained by millions of contributors worldwide. We process this data through kaikki.org, which provides structured JSON exports of Wiktionary entries.

Words & definitions: Wiktionary structured data (kaikki.org exports)
IPA pronunciations: Wiktionary pronunciation sections
Etymology: Wiktionary etymology sections
Confusable pairs: Curated list of commonly confused word pairs with explanations
Homophones: Grouped from Wiktionary pronunciation data
Misspellings: Common misspelling patterns for each language

Attribution

Wiktionary content is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License (CC BY-SA 3.0) . This means you may share and adapt this content under the same license, with attribution to Wiktionary contributors. See Wiktionary:Copyrights for details.

Methodology

We download Wiktionary JSON exports from kaikki.org, process them that normalizes definitions, extracts pronunciations, builds confusable pairs, and indexes misspellings. No facts are fabricated or invented. We present the data as-is from Wiktionary contributors, with light formatting for readability.

Data Currency

PlainSpell currently uses Wiktionary data exported via kaikki.org, refreshed in Q1 2026. Wiktionary is continuously edited by contributors worldwide, and kaikki.org periodically generates structured JSON exports from the latest Wiktionary dumps. We update our database when new exports become available, typically every 3-6 months.

Because Wiktionary is a living resource, word entries may have been updated on Wiktionary since our last data refresh. For the most current definitions, check the corresponding Wiktionary entry directly.

Not Affiliated

PlainSpell is not affiliated with Wikimedia Foundation, Wiktionary, or any of the organizations that provide source data. We are an independent portal that makes Wiktionary data more accessible.

About PlainSpell

This portal is built and maintained by PlainSpell, an independent data publishing studio. We build free, ad-supported portals that make language data, government statistics, and public information accessible to everyone, no paywalls, no accounts required.

If you enjoy language data, there is plenty more to explore on PlainSpell:

Confusable pairs, side-by-side comparisons for thousands of easily-mixed-up words across five languages.
Rankings, the most misspelled words, largest homophone groups, and longest words in the corpus.
Style guide, how AP, Chicago, MLA and APA rule on contested spellings like judgment and color.

Editorial Independence

Content on PlainSpell is compiled by our editorial team from official source data. Raw data from public registries and government publications is reformatted into readable profiles by our editorial team and verified against the source before publication. The PlainSpell editorial team is responsible for editorial standards, methodology, and corrections.

We do not accept payment, sponsorship, or promoted placement from brands, agencies, or any covered entity. Our only revenue source is contextual display advertising served by Google AdSense, advertisers do not influence which entities we cover or how we present data, and they do not receive preferential placement.

About the PlainSpell Editorial Team

PlainSpell is researched and maintained by the PlainSpell Editorial Team, working at the intersection of computational linguistics, lexicography, and data journalism. Editorial workflow combines automated extraction from kaikki.org Wiktionary dumps with manual confusable-pair curation, word ordering from an open word-frequency list, and IPA pronunciations carried through from Wiktionary where contributor data is available. Every word entry traces back to Wiktionary or an openly-licensed frequency dataset.

The team coordinates corrections via hello@plainspell.com, applies the PlainSpell methodology consistently across all five supported languages (English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, German), and documents its sourcing and corrections standards in the methodology and editorial policy.

Disclaimer

PlainSpell is for informational and educational purposes only. While we strive for accuracy, word definitions, pronunciations, and etymologies may vary across sources and editions. For authoritative reference, consult a professional dictionary or language authority.

Contact

For questions, feedback, or data corrections, email hello@plainspell.com.