Dictionary CLI Tool

A command-line dictionary application built in Go that provides word definitions, pronunciations, and examples using the Free Dictionary API.

Features

• 🔍 Real-time word lookup - Get definitions for any English word
• 📚 Comprehensive results - Shows definitions, pronunciations, examples, and part of speech
• ⚡ Smart caching - Caches results for 5 minutes to improve performance
• 🔄 Continuous mode - Keep searching without restarting the app
• 🛡️ Graceful shutdown - Clean exit with Ctrl+C

Installation

Prerequisites

• Go 1.19 or higher

Build from source

git clone https://github.com/trynax/Dictionary.git
cd Dictionary
make build .

Run directly

make run

Usage

1. Start the application:

   cmd.exe

2. Search for words:

   Search for a word... 
   hello
   
   hello /həˈloʊ/
   EXCLAMATION
   1. used as a greeting or to begin a phone conversation
   Example: hello there, Katie!
   
   NOUN
   1. an utterance of 'hello'; a greeting
   Example: she was getting polite nods and hellos from people
   

3. Exit the application:

   • Press Ctrl+C or close the terminal

API Reference

This application uses the Free Dictionary API to fetch word definitions.

Endpoint: https://api.dictionaryapi.dev/api/v2/entries/en/{word}

Technical Details

Caching

• Uses sync.Map for thread-safe caching
• Cache entries expire after 5 minutes
• Automatic cleanup with goroutines

Error Handling

• Graceful handling of API failures
• Network timeout management
• Invalid word input handling

Performance

• Concurrent cache cleanup
• Efficient JSON unmarshaling
• Minimal memory footprint

Dependencies

• Standard Library Only - No external dependencies required
• Uses Go's built-in net/http, encoding/json, and sync packages

Example Output

Search for a word... 
programming

programming /ˈproʊɡræmɪŋ/
NOUN
1. the process or activity of writing computer programs
Example: software programming requires logical thinking

VERB
1. present participle of program
Example: I am programming a new application

Contributing

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch (git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature)
3. Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add amazing feature')
4. Push to the branch (git push origin feature/amazing-feature)
5. Open a Pull Request

Roadmap

• Implement word history tracking
• Add pronunciation audio playback
• Export definitions to file
• Add fuzzy search for misspelled words

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

Acknowledgments

• Free Dictionary API for providing the word data
• Go community for excellent documentation and examples

Author

trynax - GitHub Profile

---

Built with ❤️ using Go