The best dictionaries for learning Punjabi

We tracked down 3 of the best dictionaries for learning Punjabi, including 2 you can use for free. Our top picks right now are The Panjabi Dictionary (DSAL), Wiktionary and Forvo. Every entry below is hand-checked, and the ones that teach you come first — with free options ahead of paid ones wherever they are as good.

3 resources · 2 free

Bhai Maya Singh's Punjabi–English dictionary, digitised and searchable.

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Dictionaries Free IntermediateAdvanced
ReadingVocabulary
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The classic Punjabi–English dictionary, free from Chicago's Digital South Asia Library, searchable in Gurmukhi or transliteration. It is a nineteenth-century work, so it is authoritative on literary and older vocabulary and thin on anything modern. Nothing comparable exists for free.

Wiktionary

Multi-language

Free multilingual dictionary with etymologies, IPA and full conjugation tables.

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DictionariesWebsites Free BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced
VocabularyGrammarPronunciation
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Over 100 language editions; the English edition alone has millions of entries covering hundreds of languages, with IPA, declension and conjugation tables, etymologies and usage notes that commercial apps usually paywall. The etymology sections are quietly one of the best vocabulary-retention tools available. Being crowd-sourced, coverage is uneven and rare entries can be wrong — cross-check anything unusual against a native-language dictionary.

Forvo

Multi-language

Crowd-sourced pronunciations of nearly any word by native speakers.

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DictionariesTools Freemium BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced
PronunciationListening
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Around 6 million words recorded by native speakers across 400+ languages, usually with several accents per word so you can hear regional variation. Free to search on the site; the paid tiers are aimed at API users and bulk audio downloads. Indispensable for names, place names and anything a TTS voice would mangle — many learners wire it directly into Anki for card audio.