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I'm learning French and I'm not sure who the accurate French dictionary publishers are... In English there are dictionaries that always have too many errors such as Collins. So, what publisher should I move toward to ensure updated, always accurate definitions? I need this on my Android phone. Any tips? On the other hand, if no such thing is available is there a Windows French dictionary with native pronunciation?

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  • Umm, why is someone downvoting this?
    – verve
    Jul 14, 2013 at 17:18

2 Answers 2

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The two reference French dictionnaries provide mobile apps:

As for pronunciation, and only for that, you could rely on text-to-speech apps. I found out that Ivona is surprisingly quite accurate in French.

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  • I've tried Ivona! It does seem good but how accurate in the umm...what's the word...when you are supposed to slur the end of one word to the beginning of another word?
    – verve
    Jun 30, 2013 at 16:06
  • Darn, the page is in French. Does it if there will be an Android version released? The Larousse reviews on Play look terrible. Apparently, none if the features work.
    – verve
    Jun 30, 2013 at 16:11
  • From muy experience, Ivona is quite good at doing liaisons; No, the page doesn't mention any coming Android app for Le Robert; And yes, the reviews for the Larousse are quite polarized. But I fear it'll be your best shot at a reliable, established French dictionnary. Jun 30, 2013 at 16:26
  • Thank you for letting me know it's called liaisons! Why don't developers realize Android is more popular than the iPhone now??? :-(
    – verve
    Jun 30, 2013 at 16:34
  • Do you happen to know whether the Larousse app is made by the actual company ir is it done by Paragon who seems to make money off selling outdated dictionaries?
    – verve
    Jun 30, 2013 at 16:51
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There is an android app called "Dictionnaire hors-ligne" or "offline dictionary". It allows you to download many dictionaries which are free (this includes case where the copyright no longer applies), some of which are excellent (though, in the case of those dating back to late 19th century, they might not reflect the usage made on the streets today).

The main perk being that you do not need to be online to consult these dictionaries (once you've downloaded them, preferably from some wifi access).

This app apparently bridges to some other vocal synthesis apps (I have no idea how this happens to be on my phone), and the pronunciation seems tolerable (though I didn't tried it seriously).

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  • ... and there are some French synonyms and English-French dictionnaries too. And I forgot to mention the app is free...
    – ARG
    Jun 30, 2013 at 14:01
  • My problem with free dictionaries is that I can't be certain how acccurate they are or when the last time it is they were updated.
    – verve
    Jun 30, 2013 at 16:15
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    IMHO, it's not so important to have a dictionary which is 30 years too old. If you use the ones from late 19th century, maybe some words will have slightly different meanings (more rarely, very different meaning), but it should not be any problem in understanding or making yourself understood. Just go ahead and try to speak, that's the important part. Of course, some French persons tend to overtly despise people not speaking their French. Most reasonable humans will make an effort to understand you. Just say you heard this from a Canadian, many Europeans think of it as 19th century French.
    – ARG
    Jul 1, 2013 at 7:16

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