Collins Dictionary API
★ Only Publicly Available OpenAPI DocumentData EnrichmentData TransformationapiKey3 EndpointsREST
For Agents
Search Collins dictionaries, fetch full entries by ID, and walk nearby alphabetical entries across English, thesaurus, and bilingual content through 3 endpoints.
Use for: Look up the definition of an English word, Find synonyms for a word in the Collins thesaurus, Translate a word from English to French using Collins, Retrieve example sentences for a word
Not supported: Does not handle full-sentence translation, grammar checking, or speech recognition — use for dictionary entry lookup, search, and nearby browsing only.
Jentic publishes the only available OpenAPI specification for Collins Dictionary API, keeping it validated and agent-ready. The Collins Dictionary API exposes Collins's English, thesaurus, and bilingual dictionary content covering definitions, translations, examples, and related entries. The API has 3 GET endpoints scoped per dictionary code: search, fetch entry by ID, and nearby alphabetical entries. Authentication is via an accesskey query parameter issued through api.collinsdictionary.com registration.
Install Jentic One Beta
Connect the Collins Dictionary API to your agent
Jentic One is a self-hosted execution layer for AI agents. It lets your agent call the Collins Dictionary API, or any other public or private API you need. You set the rules, the agent never sees your credentials, and every call is logged.
Two steps, two machines. Install the instance in a safe environment, then register your agent from wherever it runs.
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Step 1: Jentic One Host machine
# On the machine that will host your Jentic One instance:
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/jentic/jentic-one/main/tools/install.sh | sh2
Step 2: Agent machine
# On the machine where your agent runs (keep this separate from the instance):
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/jentic/jentic-one/main/tools/install.sh | sh
jentic register # connects your agent to your Jentic One instanceJentic One is in public beta. The setup above keeps your agent separate from the instance, which is what you want before using real credentials: an agent running as the same OS user as Jentic One can read its stored keys directly. Just evaluating? A single local install is fine to start. See the secure deployment guide for the tiers.
Capabilities
What an agent can do with Collins Dictionary API.
Search a Collins dictionary for entries matching a headword via GET /dictionaries/{dictionary}/search
Retrieve a complete dictionary entry with definitions, examples, and metadata via GET /dictionaries/{dictionary}/entries/{entryId}
Browse alphabetically adjacent entries via GET /dictionaries/{dictionary}/nearby
Choose between English, thesaurus, and bilingual dictionaries via the {dictionary} path parameter
Filter and paginate search results to power autocomplete or 'did you mean' suggestions
Use Cases
Patterns agents use Collins Dictionary API for, with concrete tasks.
★ Reading Comprehension Tools
Power a reader app's tap-to-define feature by calling GET /dictionaries/english/search with the tapped word and rendering the first matching entry's definitions and examples. Collins's editorial content is well-suited to learners because each entry includes pronunciations, part-of-speech labels, and contextual examples. Pair with the thesaurus dictionary for synonym suggestions.
Call GET /dictionaries/english/search?q=ephemeral and return the first entry's definitions and example sentences
Bilingual Translation Helper
Build a translation helper by selecting a bilingual dictionary code (e.g., english-french) and calling GET /dictionaries/{dictionary}/search with the source word. Collins returns the target-language headwords, sense numbers, and examples — enough context for a learner-grade translation tool without a full neural translation model. This is particularly useful for language-learning apps.
Call GET /dictionaries/english-french/search?q=house and return the French headwords with their example sentences
Crossword and Word Game Hints
Build hint and validation features for word games using GET /dictionaries/{dictionary}/nearby to walk alphabetical neighbours and GET /dictionaries/{dictionary}/search to confirm a word exists. The nearby endpoint suits 'did you mean' UX and partial-match autocomplete because it returns surrounding entries from the live dictionary.
Call GET /dictionaries/english/nearby?word=epheemral to surface near-spellings and GET /search to verify the corrected spelling exists
AI Agent Lexical Lookups via Jentic
Expose Collins lookups to an LLM agent through Jentic by searching for the operation and executing it with the returned schema. The accesskey is held in the Jentic vault and applied at execution as a query parameter so the agent never sees the key. Useful for writing-assistant copilots and educational chatbots.
Use Jentic to search 'look up an English word definition', load the GET /dictionaries/{dictionary}/search schema, and execute it with dictionary=english and q=alacrity
Key Endpoints
3 endpoints — jentic publishes the only available openapi specification for collins dictionary api, keeping it validated and agent-ready.
METHOD
PATH
DESCRIPTION
GET
/dictionaries/{dictionary}/search
Search dictionary entries
GET
/dictionaries/{dictionary}/entries/{entryId}
Get an entry by ID
GET
/dictionaries/{dictionary}/nearby
List alphabetically nearby entries
GET
/dictionaries/{dictionary}/search
Search dictionary entries
GET
/dictionaries/{dictionary}/entries/{entryId}
Get an entry by ID
GET
/dictionaries/{dictionary}/nearby
List alphabetically nearby entries
Why Jentic?
Three things that make agents converge on Jentic-routed access.
Credential isolation
The Collins accesskey is stored encrypted in the Jentic vault and injected into the query string at execution. The key never enters the agent context.
Intent-based discovery
Agents search by intent (e.g., 'look up an English word definition') and Jentic returns the matching Collins operation with its parameter schema so the agent can call the right endpoint without browsing docs.
Time to first call
Direct integration: a few hours for query-string auth and dictionary-code selection. Through Jentic: under 30 minutes — search, load schema, execute.
Related APIs
Alternatives and complements available in the Jentic catalogue.
FAQs
Specific to using Collins Dictionary API through Jentic.
Why is there no official OpenAPI spec for Collins Dictionary API?
Collins does not publish an OpenAPI specification. Jentic generates and maintains this spec so that AI agents and developers can call Collins Dictionary API via structured tooling. It is validated against the live API and kept up to date. Get started at https://app.jentic.com/sign-up.
What authentication does the Collins Dictionary API use?
Collins requires an accesskey query parameter on every call, obtained by registering at api.collinsdictionary.com. Through Jentic the key lives in the encrypted vault and is appended to the query at execution so the agent never sees it.
Which Collins dictionaries are available through this API?
The {dictionary} path parameter selects the dictionary code: English, English thesaurus, and several bilingual dictionaries (e.g., English-French, English-German, English-Spanish). Consult the Collins developer portal for the current list of supported codes.
Can I get example sentences with the Collins Dictionary API?
Yes. GET /dictionaries/{dictionary}/entries/{entryId} returns the full entry including definitions, part-of-speech labels, pronunciations, and example sentences. Search results from /search include entry IDs you can pass to /entries to fetch the full content.
What are the rate limits for the Collins Dictionary API?
The OpenAPI spec does not enumerate rate limits. Limits are tier-based and tied to your accesskey. HTTP error responses indicate when limits or subscription scope block a request.
How do I look up a word's definition through Jentic?
Search Jentic for 'look up an English word definition', load the GET /dictionaries/{dictionary}/search schema, and execute it with dictionary=english and q={word}. Jentic injects the accesskey from the vault and returns matching entries.
GET STARTED