The French Academy’s dictionary is online on the internet

Last updated on 10 September 2026

At last? say the wicked languages … This passage from the French Academy’s dictionary on the Internet is in any case a real success. The Academy’s digital portal is aimed at the general public and language lovers. It now gives access to all nine editions of the dictionary, from the first of 1694 to the ninth, completed in November 2024.

For the first time, the public has access to the entire lexicographical undertaking carried out by the Académie française for more than three centuries.

The French Academy has often been criticised for the slowness with which it drew up its famous dictionary. The first volume of the ninth edition was published in 1992, the second in 2000, the third in 2011. It was therefore necessary to wait until November 2024 and the publication of the fourth volume for the book to be complete.

We can kindly mock this "relative" slowness, but we cannot say that academicians do not live with their time. The digital portal offers a simple and responsive interface, with clear and neat graphics. Ergonomics and user experience without real flaws. The site can be consulted on computer as on smartphone and tablet, and a free mobile application now exists on iOS and Android.

The Academy’s online dictionary offers all nine editions

This is the great news of recent years, and it has gone quite unnoticed: The 9th edition is over. It has 53,000 entries, including 21,000 words absent from the 8th edition of 1935, which represents a nearly doubling of the content. It also offers etymological notes for the first time at the Academy.

The previous eight editions are also online, in text mode and in image mode. In total, more than 250,000 entries can be consulted free of charge, by all, at any time and from anywhere.

For each entry, it is possible to compare successive definitions with one click. This is what makes the site so interesting in class. Reading the definition of ‘work’, ‘woman’ or ‘slave’ in 1694, 1835 and today is a ten-minute language history session.

The interface is very simple to tame. The search term is entered in the input field and the definition is displayed immediately. The tool also offers a small list of terms that are approaching or have a close spelling. If it is a verb, the dictionary displays a full conjugation table.

A dictionary open to other types of content

The French Academy’s online dictionary offers, for the first time, gateways to other content. Links lead to the database FranceTerme, which lists the scientific and technical words officially recommended as part of the enrichment scheme for the French language, or towards the Pan-Francophone Lexicographic Database (B.D.L.P.), which brings together lexical varieties from twenty countries of the Francophonie.

I also liked the sections Say, don't say and Language issues, which I let you discover.

The French Academy has successfully switched to digital. It allows as many people as possible to discover the richness and nuances of the French language.

There remains an open question: the 10th edition. If the Academy keeps pace, our students today will be retired when it comes out. Let's hope that digital now allows for more regular updates than the ninety years between the 8th and 9th editions.

If you are looking for other similar resources, this dictionary can be found in our selection of Best Free Online Dictionaries for Working French.

Link: Dictionary of the Académie française online