TOP Russian language dictionaries you need

Below are the main dictionaries that could be helpful to you. And they’re all available online and absolutely free!

1. Spelling dictionary of the State Russian Language 

Russian as a state language is the approved language for official communication, a normative, literary language. This dictionary reflects the spelling of all the main words of the modern language. At the same time, it may not include dialectisms or very new neologisms and borrowings.

2. Orthoepic Dictionary of the State Russian Language 

This dictionary shows where to put the stress in most Russian words from the normative language. If you’re specifically interested in stress, it’s best to look in this dictionary. You’ll find all the nuances, as well.

3. Dictionary of Foreign Words

In this dictionary, you will find words of foreign origin that do not have commonly used analogues in Russian or whose analogues in Russian differ in meaning or style of use. You’ll also find notes about which gender a word is used in Russian, as well as notes about the origin of the word and about its status in modern Russian (obsolete or generally accepted).

4. Explanatory Dictionary of the State Russian Language. Part 1 (А-Н) & part 2 (О-Я)

This dictionary explains in detail the meaning of words, both foreign and originally Russian. It also has notes about grammatical changes of words in difficult cases.

5. Dictionary of Antonyms

This is a rather specific dictionary and it is limited to the range of words for which you can find words with the opposite meaning. It considers words specifically in pairs, about 3,500 in total. These include nouns (like ‘вдох/выдох’ – ‘inhale/exhale’), adjectives (‘живой/мертвый’ – ‘alive/dead’) and verbs (‘покупать/продавать’ – ‘buy/sell’). The creators focused in their selection of vocabulary on use in the socio-political, cultural, official-business sphere, as well as in the media.

6. Dictionary of Paronyms

Paronyms are one of the most difficult lexical categories of the Russian language. These are words that are similar in sound and spelling but have different lexical meanings, like ‘искусный – искусственный’ (artful – artificial). In essence, this is an explanatory dictionary that reflects the difference between pairs (or trios) of similar words.

7. Dictionary of Synonyms

This dictionary is perfect for those who want to expand their vocabulary and use more varied words to express the same idea. The dictionary briefly indicates the meaning of a word and provides examples of usage for all synonyms and makes notes about in which cases a particular word is used: for example, in more formal or in colloquial language.

8. Dictionary of Abbreviations

Don't know what ‘до н.э.’ or ‘ж/д’ means? Then this is the dictionary for you! Even in literary Russian there are many abbreviations: ‘до н. э.’ (BC), ‘в т. ч.’ (including), ‘т. е.’ (that is), ‘и др.’ (and others), ‘ж/д’ (railway or railroad). There are even more such generally accepted abbreviations in official documents or scientific publications. However, you won't find internet slang.

9. Dictionary of Toponyms

This dictionary contains important geographical names of Russian settlements and regions, as well as explanations of how foreign toponyms are written in Russian. Check here how correctly write where are you from (for example, in Russian, New York City is written with a hyphen: ‘Нью-Йорк’).

10. Dictionary of Acronyms

Since Soviet times, a large number of acronyms and abbreviations have appeared in the Russian language, especially for the names of official organizations, ministries and institutes. You’ll definitely have to remember what ‘МИД’ (Ministry of Foreign Affairs) or ‘МГУ’ (Moscow State University) stand for. You will also find generally accepted abbreviations and their spelling – for example, ‘детсад’ instead of ‘детский сад’ for kindergarten.

11. Dictionary of Homonyms

What if words look the same, but have completely different meanings? This occurs often in Russian! For example, ‘очки’ can mean ‘glasses’, an optical device for those who see poorly. Or ‘points’ in a game of sports. This dictionary gives the meanings and examples of usage of all possible variants, as well as grammatical notes.