HDICT – A Free & Libre Offline Dictionary Reader
Dhaval Patel
Dear Colleagues,
I am pleased to introduce HDICT, a free and libre iOS dictionary reader app, designed for scholars who work deeply with dictionaries.
Available on the App Store:
https://apps.apple.com/in/app/hdict/id6759493062
Note - If you are on an android phone, and would like to test the app, kindly let me know off list.
Why HDICT?
Research often requires consulting multiple dictionaries across languages and traditions—sometimes in environments where stable internet access is not guaranteed. HDICT is built precisely for this use case.
📚 Offline, Open & Flexible
Completely free and libre
Offline storage of your dictionaries - No limits as to the number of dictionaries you can add.
Supports both StarDict and dictd file formats
No subscription model, no lock-in
Bring your preferred Sanskrit, Prakrit, Pali, Tamil, or Indo-European lexica and work entirely offline.
🔎 Research-Oriented Search
Multi-Dictionary Search
View results from multiple dictionaries simultaneously
Clean tabbed interface for parallel comparison
Close individual tabs to maintain a focused workspace
Search Inside Definitions
Not just headwords — search inside full definitions
Particularly useful for tracing citations, gloss traditions, and semantic fields
Fast Lookups
Optimized queries for near-instant results, even with large lexica
📖 Deep Text Exploration
Tap-on-Meaning
Every word inside a definition is interactive.
Tap any word to instantly look it up.
Nested Lookups
New lookups open in a full-width bottom popup, allowing you to explore semantic chains without losing your place in the original entry.
Unicode Native
Full Unicode support ensures smooth handling of:
Devanāgarī
IAST
English
and any other script
🗂️ Flashcards & Pedagogy
For those teaching or revising:
Truly random quizzes (10 random words from selected dictionaries)
Mark answers as correct/incorrect even during review
Dedicated score history to track long-term progress
🎨 Customizable Scholarly Environment
Premium modern design with subtle micro-animations
Full RGB theme control (background, headings, body text)
Adjustable global font sizing
HDICT is designed to be a practical tool for scholars who value openness, portability, and serious lexical work.
If you maintain or curate dictionaries in StarDict or dictd formats, HDICT offers a powerful, research-focused way to access them on mobile devices—fully offline.
I would be grateful for your valuable feedback and suggestions.
If you have a bug to report or a feature request, please feel free to open an issue at https://github.com/drdhaval2785/hdict/issues/new or send an email to drdhav...@gmail.com.
If you are looking for dictionaries to use with the application, you may choose from a large list of Indologic dictionaries at https://github.com/indic-dict/stardict-index/blob/master/dictionaryIndices.md for starters. You may choose any other stardict / dictd dictionary of your interest.
With best regards,
Dr. Dhaval Patel, I.A.S.
विश्वासो वासुकिजः (Vishvas Vasuki)
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Vishvas /विश्वासः
Anunad Singh
Unicode Native
Full Unicode support ensures smooth handling of:
Devanāgarī
IAST
English
and any other script