Get Word Definitions Right in Safari with Tap Dictionary

Tap Dictionary is a handy little dictionary app that actually works as a browser plug-in right in your Safari web browser.

Run into a word you’re unfamiliar with or want to learn more about while browsing the web? No problem with Tap Dictionary. You don’t need to go through the tedious process of opening another web page or app to look it up – just tap, and the definition is right at your fingertips. 

Setting up Tap Dictionary to work with Safari takes a bit of work, but overall, it’s an easy process if you follow the directions exactly. Opening the app will automatically take you to the Safari page with instructions on bookmarking the app and editing the link to include the code which makes dictionary definitions pop up right in the browser.

After you set up the bookmark, when you want to look up a definition on a new page, you will need to go to your bookmark menu and activate Tap-Dictionary by tapping on it. It’s activated when it says “Tap any word to see its definition.”

From there, you can tap any word to see a complete definition. Using the icons at the top, you can hear the word pronounced, and all of the words I chose were clearly enunciated with the correct pronunciation, except for contractions. Tap-Dictionary is currently useable in many languages.

Unfortunately, once you activate it on a particular page there isn’t a way to turn it off, effectively negating copy and paste functionality until you browse to a new web page or exit Safari.

There is supposed to be a link to transfer you to a dictionary definition if you need more information, but currently it links to Google Dictionary, which is no longer available.

Despite that major flaw, this is an app that is useful at times because it saves you a few steps, and prevents you from having to open a whole new browser window to type in information. If you’re constantly looking up words, use Safari as a default browser, and read a lot, this could be a beneficial app to download.

What I liked: Tap-Dictionary makes looking up words quick and easy. It’s something that’s nice to have on occasion, and the fact that it supports a myriad of languages is a definite plus.

What I didn’t like: This didn’t always work the first time that I activated it on a webpage, occasionally causing me to have to reload the page and try again. Also, it’s tedious reloading the app every time that I click a link, but it is easier than opening an entire dictionary app. The broken button that tries to access Google Dictionary is a pretty big negative.

To buy or not to buy: For $9.99, honestly, I’ll open a dictionary app. This would be worth it at the more reasonable price of $4.99 or less, especially with no customization options and a broken link to Google Dictionary.

• App Name: Tap Dictionary
• Version Reviewed: 1.0
• Category: Reference
• Developer: Ronen Drihem
• Price: $9.99
• Score: