Is Oxford Dictionary & Thesaurus a scam?
It's a real product licensing genuine Oxford dictionary content, not a fake dictionary, so it isn't a scam in that sense. But 'money grab' is a phrase that comes up repeatedly from reviewers who feel a recurring subscription for something as basic as word definitions and pronunciations is excessive, especially compared to free alternatives or a one-time book purchase.
goofy money grab (it's a dictionary not a piece of software)
1
reviewer mentioned this in the last 60 days
Is Oxford Dictionary & Thesaurus legit?
Yes, the dictionary content itself is the genuine Oxford Languages reference, not a knockoff. The frustration reviewers describe is with the pricing model rather than authenticity — a recurring annual subscription for content some feel they've effectively already paid for via a physical dictionary, with no option for a single one-time purchase instead.
The pricing model is ridiculous. £20/year. I already own the shorter Oxford English Dictionary (2 volumes) so I've already paid copyright. £1000 over a single lifetime ownership is just absurd. I was looking at paying £20 for a copy, now I'll just delete it, crazy The developer response ignored my comment, I wasn't complaining about ads , I'm complaining that i can't just make a single payment, like the book. I take it from the developer comment, that he is not the holder of the OED content.
1
reviewer mentioned this in the last 60 days
Why does Oxford Dictionary & Thesaurus have so many ads?
This is the single most repeated complaint across reviews: full-screen ads appearing after nearly every tap, described by many reviewers as making the free tier barely usable for something as simple as looking up a word. The ad load appears to be the main lever pushing users toward the paid subscription.
Preposterous amount of ads. An ad plays every other time I tap on something. Why do I need to pay a monthly fee to use something so trivial as the DICTIONARY. Who on Earth has extra money lying around for a 'dictionary subscription'? Just that phrase alone sounds absurd. For the love of god reduce the amount of ads for free (normal) users!
33
reviewers mentioned this in the last 60 days
Do I have to pay to use basic dictionary features in Oxford Dictionary & Thesaurus?
For a lot of what people expect from a dictionary app, yes — reviewers report that word pronunciations and the thesaurus are both locked behind the paid subscription, not just advanced extras. Plain word lookups appear to work on the free tier, but expect to hit a paywall quickly for anything beyond a bare definition.
It's not really usable for free, as other reviews indicate. Many of the features require a premium subscription, including even word pronunciations or any use of the thesaurus at all.
16
reviewers mentioned this in the last 60 days
Why isn't my Oxford Dictionary premium subscription being recognized?
A number of reviewers report paying for the premium subscription and then finding the app still shows them as a free user, even after logging in with the same account used to purchase it. This looks like a real syncing issue between the purchase and the app's account state, so if it happens to you, keep your purchase receipt handy for a support request.
I've purchased it's premium subscription but not reflecting in tab even after login with the same email that I used while purchasing
3
reviewers mentioned this in the last 60 days
Answers above are generated from real Google Play reviews of Oxford Dictionary & Thesaurus, not editorial opinion.