Tell HN: (dictionary|thesaurus).reference.com is now a spam site
45akkartik136/29/2025, 6:36:58 PM
I use it all the time, so this must be recent.
Comments (13)
dougb5 · 11h ago
I learned of this when users of my dictionary search site (OneLook) started complaining. I'd been in contact with folks from dictionary.com in their early days, and I've watched its rise and fall with curiosity. If whoever owns reference.com now is reading this, I'll buy it from you and I can promise to honor its original mission as I have with OneLook -- make me an offer.
FYI dictionary.com and thesaurus.com are still available on their original domains. I believe that, under prior ownership (IAC), they consolidated the traffic of their properties under reference.com in order to get higher audience numbers in ComScore and hence better ad deals. It's baffling to me that they (apparently) either let the domain expire or sold it to a spammer. It's accrued brand equity since 2008 -- and no doubt a lot of backlinks, for whatever that's worth now.
treetalker · 10h ago
In the last few years I've snatched inexpensive used copies of the 1942 Webster's New International Dictionary (unabridged — Nabokov's favorite) and the Compact OED (2nd ed.). Couldn't be happier.
dv35z · 6h ago
Have you ever come across an "inverted" abridged dictionary? A dictionary of the words which are most commonly abridged (removed) from a core dictionary.
burnt-resistor · 9h ago
I once found an unabridged OED c. 1984 ed. on the side of the road in Los Gatos CA with only the cover missing.
dictionary.reference.com != dictionary.com, to be clear reference.com seems to be showing spammy content.
dictionary.com itself seems to be working as usual.
mdaniel · 11h ago
I'm just curious: does your local dictionary and thesaurus lack some feature that those sites used to provide for you? Maybe I'm just in a privileged position because the dictionary and thesaurus Spotlight integration is so handy, and I'd bet that Windows doesn't have nice things, or if they have them they're now also enshittified
tgv · 10h ago
There's no such thing in a Windows installation as iOS and macOS offer out of the box. There are apps, though, available via the Microsoft Store. A free one, called Oxford Dictionary and Thesaurus says this in its privacy policy:
III. Types of personal data collected
3.1 While using our Service, we may ask you to provide us with certain Personal Data. The categories of Personal Data may include, but are not limited to:
• First name and surname
• Country and country code
• Email address
• Phone number (if applicable)
• Habitual residence (if applicable)
• Google, Facebook, Huawei, Microsoft and/ or Apple credentials and profile pictures (if applicable)
• Billing and payment data – credit or debit card number, bank account information (if applicable) and information about payments
So, yeah.
• Cookies and Usage Data – device type, device ID and/ or IP address, crash logs data, diagnostic data, music files data and other information as clarified below (if applicable)
• Communications and content, including audio, video, text (typed, inked, dictated, or otherwise), in a message, email, or chat (if applicable).
tacostakohashi · 9h ago
It's really depressing that such obvious, classical applications for computers like replacing paper dictionaries, phone directories, etc. basically can't exist because if they did, they'd have to be enshittified into tools for advertising or surveillance.
loloquwowndueo · 10h ago
Gee you make it sound like Windows and macOS are the only games in town :)
FYI dictionary.com and thesaurus.com are still available on their original domains. I believe that, under prior ownership (IAC), they consolidated the traffic of their properties under reference.com in order to get higher audience numbers in ComScore and hence better ad deals. It's baffling to me that they (apparently) either let the domain expire or sold it to a spammer. It's accrued brand equity since 2008 -- and no doubt a lot of backlinks, for whatever that's worth now.
dictionary.com itself seems to be working as usual.
III. Types of personal data collected
3.1 While using our Service, we may ask you to provide us with certain Personal Data. The categories of Personal Data may include, but are not limited to:
• First name and surname
• Country and country code
• Email address
• Phone number (if applicable)
• Habitual residence (if applicable)
• Google, Facebook, Huawei, Microsoft and/ or Apple credentials and profile pictures (if applicable)
• Billing and payment data – credit or debit card number, bank account information (if applicable) and information about payments
So, yeah.
• Cookies and Usage Data – device type, device ID and/ or IP address, crash logs data, diagnostic data, music files data and other information as clarified below (if applicable)
• Communications and content, including audio, video, text (typed, inked, dictated, or otherwise), in a message, email, or chat (if applicable).