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Can someone refer me to some offline dictionaries to use with GoldenDict and how to install/integrate them with it? Preferably English to English dictionaries with large wordbase and phonetic notations for pronunciations, their usage in sentences etc.

user1362452
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6 Answers6

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Not sure how i found this page, but it has got plenty of popular dictionaries in .bgl format (that can be read by GoldenDict).

from which you can download dictionaries in StarDict format.

Pablo Bianchi
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Saasira
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There is a whole page dedicated to dictionaries on the official website, Getting dictionaries for GoldenDict. I'm not sure if you can get other suggestions here because, as clearly explained on that page, there is a risk of copyright infringements for the non-free dictionaries.

The best offline free English to English dictionary I know is WordNet. There is a version of it, specially formatted for GoldenDict, on the download page: search for WordNet, download the .zip file, unzip it somewhere and add that folder as a source for dictionary files.

mguassa
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5

Babylon

EDIT: Up to the end of 2019, Babylon Software used to offer a large selection of free .bgl dictionaries that work flawlessly with GoldenDict. This was possible due to a loophole in the international intellectual property treaties dealing with databases. Unfortunately, this seems to be no longer the case.

Nonetheless, I have included a web archive link to get an idea of what was available. Perhaps, these can still be found in the deep crevices of the Internet. You would typically be looking for .bgl or .dsl files; most of the times compressed into a .zip file.

However, Babylon Software still sells dictionaries and voice add-ons. Both will work with GoldenDict.

Serge Stroobandt
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3

I think nobody mentioned it.

Get them at your Ubuntu Package Manager!

The standard Ubuntu distribution offers some good dictionaries in the dictd format (dict.dz extension), which is compatible with GoldenDict. I list some that I found there:

  • dict-wn the WordReference English Dictionary
  • dict-gcide the Collaborative International Dictionary of English
  • dict-moby-thesaurus A large English Thesaurus
  • dict-de-en A German-English dictionary

There are some more, such as or dict-foldoc or dict-vera

Procedure:

  1. Open your Package Manager and search for the specific package or just search the word "dictd" there you'll see listed the possible packages

  2. Choose and Install the packages

  3. Add the path where the dict.dz files are to the GoldenDict Sources (Edit > Dictionaries > Sources > Files > Add)

    Usually the path is /usr/share/dictd. But if it does not work, search for it yourself:

    1. Update the locate database sudo updatedb
    2. Search for the extension locate dict.dz
loved.by.Jesus
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English Wiktionary is probably the best choice. You can download it in StarDict/Dictd format in http://www.dictinfo.com/

You may also consider Aard Dictionary as an alternative to GoldenDict for content coming from Wikimedia sites.

Pere
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I found some must-have GoldenDict files here, here, here (The tarball labelled "Wikipedia English - Free Encyclopedia"), and here. :)

Download and extract the tarball(s) of your choice. Then GoldenDict > Edit > Dictionaries > Sources > Files > Add > Choose the extracted folder.

Saifur Rahman Mamun
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