Look up a word
How to see a word's definition, pronunciation, examples and synonyms while you read, save it to your notes, and add dictionaries for other languages.
- Windows
- Yes
- Mac
- Yes
- iPad
- Partly
- iPhone
- Partly
Click a word in the reading view, or press and hold it on a touch screen, and its definition appears right there, with pronunciation, examples and synonyms. Looking a word up never moves your place in the book, and never pauses or starts the reading.
Look up a word
Windows
- Click a word and choose Look up, the first item in the word menu.
- Or hold Ctrl and click the word to look it up at once.
- On a touch screen in the touch layout, press and hold the word. The definition opens in a sheet along the bottom.
Mac
- Click a word and choose Look up, the first item in the word menu.
- Or hold ⌘ and click the word to look it up at once.
iPhone and iPad
Press and hold the word. The definition opens in a sheet along the bottom. More on the sheet gives the other word actions: Read from here, Translate, a note, a highlight or a bookmark.
What the card shows
- The word and its pronunciation.
- A speaker button that says the word in the voice you are using. It works while the book is paused, so it never talks over the reading.
- The part of speech and numbered meanings, each with an example and synonyms. When there are many, a link such as Show all 12 senses lists them all.
- Where the definition comes from.
- Search the web, to look further. See Search the web and find more books.
LuceVoce understands word forms: "went" finds "go", "mice" finds "mouse". It also tries the word with the next one or two words, so "gave up" finds "give up". When it finds a phrase, Just followed by the word shows the single word instead.
On a Mac, iPhone or iPad, System dictionary opens your device's own dictionary for the word.
Save a definition to your notes
Choose Add to notes on the card. LuceVoce saves a note on the word with its definition and the sentence it came from. It shows in the notes panel, in every export and on your Anki cards.
Know the dictionaries
LuceVoce comes with a full English dictionary of 136,000 words, Open English WordNet, which works offline.
For other languages, or a second English dictionary, add a dictionary in StarDict format, as a dictionary pack:
- Open Settings > Study.
- Under Dictionaries, choose Add a dictionary pack and pick the file.
The list shows the dictionaries for each language with their number of words and licence. Use the switch to turn one off, and the arrows to try it earlier or later than the others.
Ask Wiktionary for missing words
If you like, LuceVoce can ask Wiktionary for words your dictionaries don't have. It is off until you turn it on.
- Open Settings > Study.
- Under Dictionaries, find Wiktionary under Online and turn it on.
When it is on, only a word that your dictionaries don't have is sent, and just that word. The definition is shown in English, with its credit.
Good to know
- When a word isn't found, the card says which dictionaries and word forms were tried.
- Lookups in your own dictionaries happen on your device. Nothing is sent online.
- Dictionary packs stay on the device where you add them.
- To translate the word instead, see Translate a word or a passage.
Last updated 13 November 2026