Word of the Day Screensaver
The Word of the Day screensaver shows one real English word each day with its pronunciation, part of speech and dictionary definition. It's free, runs in your browser, and ESC exits.
Live preview
Press ESC to leave fullscreen. Settings are saved in your browser only.
How the Word of the Day screensaver works
A word is picked from a curated list using today's date, so everyone sees the same word on the same day.
Its pronunciation, part of speech and definition are looked up from the key-less Free Dictionary API.
An example sentence is shown when the dictionary provides one.
The word turns over at local midnight without needing a reload.
Where dictionary data like this comes from
A dictionary entry packs several separate pieces of information together. The headword is the word as spelled; the part of speech says how it works in a sentence; the definition gives its sense; and the phonetic transcription indicates how to say it, often in the International Phonetic Alphabet. A single word can carry multiple senses and parts of speech, such as a noun and a verb with related but distinct meanings.
The Free Dictionary API at dictionaryapi.dev is a free English dictionary service. Its sample response for a word includes a phonetic field, a phonetics list that can carry an audio file path, and a list of meanings grouped by part of speech. Not every field is filled for every word, so some entries have no example sentence or no audio.
For pronunciation, a transcription follows one particular accent or convention, so it may not match how you say the word. When a lookup for a particular word is incomplete, the saver can only show what the source returns. Word lists chosen for daily features tend to favour uncommon but useful vocabulary, which is part of the appeal.
A worked example
Today the board reads petrichor, with its pronunciation beneath and the definition — the smell of rain on dry earth — spelled out under that. Tomorrow it will be a different word.
Settings & tips
- The word is chosen by the date, so it's the same for everyone and changes at midnight.
- Accent recolours the headword.
- Definitions come from a free, key-less dictionary API.
Frequently asked questions
- Where do the definitions come from?
- The key-less Free Dictionary API, looked up live for the day's word.
- Is the word random?
- No — it's chosen from a curated list using today's date, so everyone sees the same word on the same day and it changes at local midnight.
- What if the definition doesn't load?
- The word and its spelling still show; only the definition line is left out.
- Is a key needed?
- No.
- Is it free?
- Yes — free, no download, in your browser.
- What does the phonetic spelling mean?
- It is a guide to pronunciation, often written in the International Phonetic Alphabet, in which each symbol stands for a particular sound.
- Why can one word have several definitions?
- Many words have multiple senses or work as more than one part of speech, so a dictionary lists each, usually grouped by part of speech.
- Why is there sometimes no example sentence?
- The saver shows an example only when the dictionary service returns one, and entries are not always complete.