My Top German To English Dictionary App Recommendations (2023)

Your guide to the best German to English dictionary apps for iOS and Android

German translation has come a long way in a short time, and digitaltools are now a part of every translator’s toolkit.

As well as computer-aidedtranslation (CAT) tools, and machine translation, they include Germandictionary apps.

This article covers:

• Ascendo
• Bravolo
• Ultralingua
• Eflasoft
• Farlex
• Livio monolingual German dictionary

When you’re translating at your desk, you’ll be better off having a hardbackCollins or Oxford German dictionary at hand, for easy and authoritativerefence to up to 900,000 terms, plus specialist dictionaries and onlineglossaries.

But when you’re on the go, need to quickly check a term in conversation,or reading your ebook, having access to a German to English dictionary app onyour smartphone or tablet is a great help.

So, as part of this dictionary series, I’ve taken a look atthe best dictionary apps for Android and iOS. Some arefree, with ads and in-app purchases, some you need to buy.

I’ve tried tofind dictionaries which draw on their own authoritative linguisticcorpus, rather than on Google Translate orsimilar. But often it's a bit hard to tell.

Naturally, everyone’s experiencesand expectations differ, so I’ve included a few of the online reviews, too.

TIP! Several of my recommended onlinedictionaries are also available as apps to download from the Google PlayStore or Apple App Store. They include Leo, which I have on mysmartphone, as well as Linguee, and dict.cc.

1. Ascendo

AscendoGerman English dictionary

Rating: 4.9/5 (iOS) – new version rated 5/5 but fewreviews currently.

Installs: over 1,000,000 (Android)

Price: Choose from the free (with ads) or paidversions (US$9.99 – for Android)

“The #1 German English Translator & Dictionary for iPhone, iPad& Apple Watch”, it also seems to be the top-rated German dictionary app forAndroid.

Key features:

According to the developers, the Ascendo German English Dictionary byVidaLingua “transforms your Android phone or tablet into an advanced languageinterpreter, always ready to help. It includes everything you need in one freeapp and features you won’t find anywhere else such as adding words, notes andimages to the dictionary.

Premium versions make VidaLingua the mostcomprehensive German English Dictionary for Android.”

Combines AI with human intelligence and is bursting with features. Aswell as phrasebooks, quizzes, and flashcards, they include:

• German English Dictionary with over 648,000 offline entries.

• Photo Translator. Take a picture and translate any text in the image.

• Voice Translator. Say a phrase in one language and translate it toanother.

• Text Translator. Type or copy text and generate accurate translations.

• iPad Split Screen support so you can drag & drop words from other appsinto German Translator & Dictionary + to translate them.

• Apple Watch support with voice lookups so you can say a word and findtranslations quickly.

Developer:

This is one of a series of bilingual apps offered by VidaLingua, and itgets good reviews. Users seem to value it for ease of use andcomprehensiveness, and for its clear and simple layout.

Sample reviews:

According to Apple, it is “trusted by millions of users who have givenit the highest ratings of any app in its category”.

“I’ve tried several dictionaries/translators. This is the best I’vefound. And they keep improving it!”

“Great app for German learners: Iuse this app daily as a reference while teaching myself German. The dictionaryis fairly extensive and easy to search through. The verb conjugations are alsoexcellent because it has all the forms you could ever want.”

“Bilingual dictionary apps from VidaLingua are hugely popular... they’refree and they work offline, handy when you’re actually abroad.” New York Times

2. Bravolo

Bravolol GermanEnglish Dictionary and Translator

Rating: 4.6/5 (iOS)

Installs: 100,000+ (Android)

Price: Free

Key features:

Detailed word definitions & example sentences

• Related search suggestions
• Advanced sentences analyzer
• Favorite words & search history
• Flashcards for self-learning support
• Customizable font sizes for better readability
• German, English & wildcard character search support
• German, British English & American English pronunciation withphonetics

Developer:

Bravolol, publishers of a series of bilingual dictionaries and phrasebooksdesigned for language learners.

Sample reviews:

Over 3000 reviews for Android, including:

“The numerous word usage and sentence examples and voice over are agreat help for learners, for learning pronunciation, and translating.”

“Light and stable for budget phones, informative, and well designed.”

“Very good app. Lots of words/phrases that you would need in everydayuse. I like the fact that I can type in my own sentence, have it translated andI'm able to hear it. Great for learning/practising German.”

On Apple:

“So easy to use: The translations are almost always correct. It's easyto use - even offline. I recommend it to both students and travelers.”

“Best dictionary out there! I've been on two trips to Germany, each ofseveral month’s duration. My German is beginning B2 level - this app has been aconstant companion.”

“In trying to improve and polish my German using an iPad, I find thisdictionary most useful. I can toggle to it to find a word, then toggle back tothe article I am reading. After completing the article I can return to thedictionary and use the history feature to review all the words I looked up, aswell as review many common expressions and idioms that use that particularword. A very helpful app indeed.”

3. Ultralingua

UltralinguaGerman English

Rating: 4.6/5 (iOS)

Price: USD 15

Key features:

"For serious language students and translators who are looking formore precision." - The New York Times

This German to English dictionary app sounds sufficiently advanced to replace a heavyweight, paper version.

• Over 95,000 dictionary entries with 295,000 translations

• Tap-and-hold any word or phrase and choose "Speak" from thepopup menu to hear that word spoken using Apple's built-in text-to-speechfeature.

• Noun genders

• Slang, technical language, and regional differences in spelling andusage

• Hundreds of usage notes about troublesome constructions

• Smart search results in case you misspell or mistype

• Search-as-you-go displays words and narrows your selection as you type

• Verb conjugations for thousands of German and English verbs, includingall standard tenses and forms

• Must-have reference tool for any student or language professional

• Translate numerals into German and English text with the number tool

• Language swapper button to switch from German-English toEnglish-German

• Tap the history button to view the 50 most recent dictionarydefinitions, verb conjugations, and more in one place. Sort the listalphabetically or by date, and choose to clear the list completely or deleteone entry at a time.

• No internet connection required

Developer family:

Ultralingua, Inc., who publish a series of bilingual dictionaries (English,French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish)

Sample reviews:

“I purchased this app over 5 years ago and I’ve gotten more value out ofit than any other by far.”

“Similar to the French - English dictionary, which I’ve used for years,the German Ultralingua dictionary is equally excellent.”

“Although many have commented on the high price of these UltralinguaLanguage Dictionaries, they really are top quality applications.”

“Best software dictionary I've ever used. As an English speaker living in Germany, Ihave used several electronic dictionaries; from dedicated hardware to programson PalmOS. The ease of use of this one, along with the ability to conjugateverbs (in BOTH English and German) raises it far above all the others. At thesame price as a paper dictionary, but triple the functionality makes this aprogram that stays in my Home screen.”

4. Eflasoft

Eflasoft German English dictionary &education

Installs: 50,000+ (Android)

Price: Free, with ads, and in-apppurchases, to date.

Key features:

• The database includes English →German 134,000 words and phrases, and German → English 102,000 words andphrases.
• You can make voice calls with "Speech recognition" feature.
• Sorts the meanings of the word according to the frequency of usage
• See and listen to word use with examples.
• Voice translation with speech recognition feature

Developerfamily:

Eflasoft,dictionaries for language learning, also publishes French and Spanishdictionaries

Samplereviews:

Reviewers appreciate the many language learning games, quizzes andexercises included in the app to make learning fun.

“It’s simply the best English-German app I have come across. It helpsyou learn Deutsch in all aspects. You can translate words or sentences, has adictionary, has similes, you learn a new word every time you open the app,helps you learn new words with fun alone. Es ist super!”

5. Farlex

Farlex GermanDictionary & Thesaurus

Rating: 4.7/5 stars

Installs: 1,000 +

Price: Free, with in-app purchases

Key features:

German dictionary and thesaurus plus German to English translations andan offline dictionary.

Play audio pronunciations of words, save unlimited bookmarks, and useadvanced searches.

* 101,000+ German definitions, including verb conjugations, all fromauthoritative sources.

* 58,000+ words available in the free offline German dictionary. Noadditional downloads required!

Developer family:

Based on TheFreeDictionary.com, the Farlex flagship app.

Sample reviews:

Gets good reviews, praised as thorough and complete, with helpful ingiving examples of the words in use.

“Great classic translation dictionary. Sourcesare cited from well-known lexicons. Defines all the relevant aspects of a word. Noads save a little strip at the bottom. Offline and free with audiopronunciation. Great addition to my language learning software and the price isunbeatable.”

6. Livio

Livio GermanDictionary Offline

Monolingual German dictionary

Rating: 4.6/5

Installs: over 1,000,000+ installs

Price: Free

Key features:

This free offline German dictionary Android app explains the meaning of over124,000 German words, with definitions based on the German Wiktionary. This makesit a useful supplement to a bilingual German-English dictionary.

As it works offline, only going online when it can’t find a word, yourphone or tablet needs sufficient memory.

Sample reviews:

“The best German dictionary app ever, freaking helpful and userfriendly. I would rate the app 1000... stars as it deserves more than just 5.”

“I have been using it for years. A must-have for me. Great explanations,the origin of the words is also given which is very interesting, another plusis the translation of words in other languages (English included) in thesection below.”

So whichGerman to English dictionary app do I recommend?

If you’re looking for an app for occasional use when you’re away fromyour standard German dictionary, then you’ll probably find the free app versionsof the Leo and Dict.cc online dictionaries are all you really need.

Don’t forget, too, that you can install these online dictionaries inyour browser for easy reference when working on your laptop or PC.

The apps available in the app store offer loads of additional features, manydesigned for language learning and keeping users motivated by offering chancesto interact. So in the end, it depends what you want to use the app for.

My suggestion would be to try out a few different apps and see which youlike best. If you narrow it down to one German English dictionary app, youcould then go for the paid version to avoid the ads.

I hope this list of German dictionary apps is helpful, but if you know of a great software resource you think I should include, then pleaseuse the form below and let me know. Future visitors will thank you!

Happy translating!

Joanna

German Translation Tips & Resources

Joanna

German Translation Tips & Resources