Random Word API

GET

Power word games and study tools with random dictionary words.

Random Word selects a random English word from the dictionary on each request. Paid plans add dictionary definitions and ARPABET phonetic pronunciation.

Try it — live request, no key required

Request

GETapi.apiverve.com/v1/randomwords

Verification

Format

No key required to try it. Get a key to use it in your app.

Example

{
  "status": "ok",
  "error": null,
  "data": {
    "word": "persevering",
    "definitions": [
      "Characterized by perseverance; persistent. -- Per`se*ver\"ing*ly, adv."
    ],
    "pronunciation": "P ER0 S AH0 V IH1 R IH0 NG"
  }
}

About the Random Word API

Random Word works by retrieving random words from the entire English dictionary and providing them in a structured format. It returns a random word, and its definition and pronunciation.

What people use it for

Daily Vocabulary Builder: Language study apps fetch an unfamiliar English word each morning to teach learners new vocabulary and spelling.
Writing Prompt Generation: To break creative block, writing platforms pull random English words that authors must incorporate into a timed sprint.
Word Puzzle Games: Puzzle creators seed crossword grids and anagram rounds by drawing random dictionary entries on demand.
Memorable Passphrase Creation: Generate diceware-style passphrases by stitching several random dictionary words together into memorable authentication secrets.

Ways to call it

One endpoint, many ways in — REST with JSON, XML, YAML and CSV, plus GraphQL and an MCP interface for AI agents.

JSON: Default REST response
XML: Markup format
YAML: Human-readable
CSV: Tabular export
GraphQL: Query language
MCP: For AI agents

View all integrations →

Other ways to use Random Word

Same data, same APIVerve account, same credit balance — one key works on all of them.

Give it to an AI agentConnect over MCP and your agent calls it as a native tool — Claude, Cursor, ChatGPT.on VerveKit Google Sheets or ExcelA =VERVE() formula fills a column — no script, no export, recalculates in place.on VerveSheets

Questions.

Common questions about the Random Word API.

Read the docs →

Are the words limited to English?

Yes. Random Word retrieves entries exclusively from the English dictionary. Each response delivers a randomly selected English term in a structured JSON format.

Can I filter words by length, category, or part of speech?

No. The endpoint accepts no parameters and draws words randomly from the entire dictionary. If your project requires specific word lengths or classifications, you will need to filter the returned words in your application logic.

What format does the pronunciation field use?

On paid plans, pronunciations use ARPABET notation. This phonetic transcription standard maps American English phonemes to standard ASCII characters, making it easy to parse in code.

Do I get definitions and pronunciation on the Free plan?

No. The Free plan returns the random word itself, while definitions and ARPABET pronunciations are premium fields. Upgrading to Starter or any higher paid plan unlocks both fields in your responses.

Which plan fits 25,000 random word lookups a month?

The Starter plan covers this volume with room to spare. Because each lookup costs 2 credits, 25,000 words consume 50,000 of Starter's 200,000 monthly credits, working out to about $0.30 per 1,000 calls. The Free plan includes 100 calls per month for testing.

Request parameters — GET /v1/randomwords

This endpoint takes no parameters

Call it with your key and nothing else. Any query string you send is ignored rather than rejected.

Example request

1
2

curl "https://api.apiverve.com/v1/randomwords" \
  -H "x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY"

Authentication

Send your key in the x-api-key header. That is the only auth step — no token exchange, and no per-endpoint scope to configure.

Header	When	Value
`x-api-key`Required	Every request	Your API key. Header names are case-insensitive, so `X-API-Key` is the same header.
`Authorization`Alternate	Instead of the above	`Bearer <key>` — for clients that only expose bearer auth. Resolves to the same account and the same billing.

401 is the only auth verdict

A 401 means the key is missing, invalid or expired. A 403 means the key is valid but not permitted here — blocked by a key restriction or an IP allow-list. Running out of credits is a 429.

Response — GET /v1/randomwords

Every APIVerve endpoint returns the same three top-level keys, so one response handler covers your whole integration: status, error and data. Only data changes shape.

Sample response

{
  "status": "ok",
  "error": null,
  "data": {
    "word": "persevering",
    "definitions": [
      "Characterized by perseverance; persistent. -- Per`se*ver\"ing*ly, adv."
    ],
    "pronunciation": "P ER0 S AH0 V IH1 R IH0 NG"
  }
}

Response fields

Paths are relative to data. Premium fields are absent rather than zeroed on plans that do not include them, so check for presence instead of comparing to 0.

Field	Type	Example	Description
`word`	string	`"persevering"`	The randomly selected English word from dictionary
`definitions`Premium	array	[Characterized by perseverance; persistent. -- Per`sever"ingly, adv.]	Array of definitions explaining the word's meanings
`pronunciation`Premium	string	`"P ER0 S AH0 V IH1 R IH0 NG"`	Phonetic pronunciation using ARPABET format notation

Response headers

Every response carries your balance, so your own code always knows where it stands without polling anything. All four are exposed to browsers through CORS.

Header	What it carries
`x-api-remaining-credits`	Credits left in the current cycle
`x-api-credits-used`	Credits spent in the current cycle
`x-api-max-credits`	The allowance for the cycle
`x-api-version`	Version of the endpoint that answered

Errors

Read the HTTP status first, then error for the specific reason. The body names the parameter that has to change.

Status	Meaning	What to do
`400`	Input was rejected	Read `error`; it names the parameter that has to change.
`401`	Key missing or invalid	Check the header name and the key value.
`403`	Key valid, but not permitted here	A key restriction or an IP allow-list — never a bad key.
`429`	Rate limited, or out of credits	Read `error` to tell them apart, then back off or top up.

What a call costs — 2 credits per call

Credits are shared across every APIVerve API — one balance, one key, one bill. Failed requests never count against it, so a rejected input costs nothing.

Plan	Per month	Credits	Random Word calls	Per 1,000 calls
Free	Free	200	100	Free
Starter	$29.99	200,000	100,000	$0.30
Pro	$99.99	1,000,000	500,000	$0.20
Mega	$299.99	4,000,000	2,000,000	$0.15

Calls are what the credits buy at this API's rate — spend them here, on any of the other APIs, or across both. Nothing is reserved per endpoint.

Compare all pricing tiers →

Call it from cURL — GET /v1/randomwords

No SDK to install — this is a plain HTTPS call to /v1/randomwords with your key in the x-api-key header. Swap in a real key and it runs as-is.

cURL

1
2

curl "https://api.apiverve.com/v1/randomwords" \
  -H "x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY"

Resources

GitHubapiverve/randomwords-apiSource, issues and the examples this page is built from.ReferenceRandom Word API docsEvery parameter, every response field, and the errors.ParametersWhat this call acceptsRequired and optional inputs, with example values.

Also published for

@apiverve/randomwordsnpm APIVerve.API.RandomWordNuGet

Only the languages APIVerve ships a client for are listed — the rest call the endpoint directly over HTTPS.

Call it from Node.js — GET /v1/randomwords

Install the Node.js SDK, then call the Random Word API with your key. The client wraps the same HTTPS request, so anything it returns is what the endpoint returns.

Install — npm

npm install @apiverve/randomwords

Node.js

const res = await fetch("https://api.apiverve.com/v1/randomwords", {
  headers: { "x-api-key": "YOUR_API_KEY" },
});
const { data } = await res.json();
console.log(data);

Resources

npm@apiverve/randomwordsThe published Node.js client, versioned and signed.GitHubapiverve/randomwords-apiSource, issues and the examples this page is built from.ReferenceRandom Word API docsEvery parameter, every response field, and the errors.ParametersWhat this call acceptsRequired and optional inputs, with example values.

Also published for

APIVerve.API.RandomWordNuGet

Only the languages APIVerve ships a client for are listed — the rest call the endpoint directly over HTTPS.

Call it from Python — GET /v1/randomwords

No SDK to install — this is a plain HTTPS call to /v1/randomwords with your key in the x-api-key header. Swap in a real key and it runs as-is.

Python

import requests

res = requests.get(
    "https://api.apiverve.com/v1/randomwords",
    headers={"x-api-key": "YOUR_API_KEY"},
)
print(res.json()["data"])

Resources

Also published for

@apiverve/randomwordsnpm APIVerve.API.RandomWordNuGet

Only the languages APIVerve ships a client for are listed — the rest call the endpoint directly over HTTPS.

Call it from C# / .NET — GET /v1/randomwords

Install the C# / .NET SDK, then call the Random Word API with your key. The client wraps the same HTTPS request, so anything it returns is what the endpoint returns.

Install — NuGet

dotnet add package APIVerve.API.RandomWord

C# / .NET

using var client = new HttpClient();
client.DefaultRequestHeaders.Add("x-api-key", "YOUR_API_KEY");

var json = await client.GetStringAsync("https://api.apiverve.com/v1/randomwords");
Console.WriteLine(json);

Resources

NuGetAPIVerve.API.RandomWordThe published C# / .NET client, versioned and signed.GitHubapiverve/randomwords-apiSource, issues and the examples this page is built from.ReferenceRandom Word API docsEvery parameter, every response field, and the errors.ParametersWhat this call acceptsRequired and optional inputs, with example values.

Also published for

@apiverve/randomwordsnpm

Only the languages APIVerve ships a client for are listed — the rest call the endpoint directly over HTTPS.

Call it from Go — GET /v1/randomwords

No SDK to install — this is a plain HTTPS call to /v1/randomwords with your key in the x-api-key header. Swap in a real key and it runs as-is.

req, _ := http.NewRequest("GET", "https://api.apiverve.com/v1/randomwords", nil)
req.Header.Set("x-api-key", "YOUR_API_KEY")

res, _ := http.DefaultClient.Do(req)
defer res.Body.Close()
body, _ := io.ReadAll(res.Body)
fmt.Println(string(body))

Resources

Also published for

@apiverve/randomwordsnpm APIVerve.API.RandomWordNuGet

Only the languages APIVerve ships a client for are listed — the rest call the endpoint directly over HTTPS.

Call it from PHP — GET /v1/randomwords

No SDK to install — this is a plain HTTPS call to /v1/randomwords with your key in the x-api-key header. Swap in a real key and it runs as-is.

PHP

$ch = curl_init("https://api.apiverve.com/v1/randomwords");
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_RETURNTRANSFER, true);
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_HTTPHEADER, ["x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY"]);

$response = curl_exec($ch);
echo $response;

Resources

Also published for

@apiverve/randomwordsnpm APIVerve.API.RandomWordNuGet

Only the languages APIVerve ships a client for are listed — the rest call the endpoint directly over HTTPS.

Call it from Ruby — GET /v1/randomwords

No SDK to install — this is a plain HTTPS call to /v1/randomwords with your key in the x-api-key header. Swap in a real key and it runs as-is.

Ruby

require "net/http"

uri = URI("https://api.apiverve.com/v1/randomwords")
req = Net::HTTP::Get.new(uri)
req["x-api-key"] = "YOUR_API_KEY"

res = Net::HTTP.start(uri.hostname, uri.port, use_ssl: true) { |h| h.request(req) }
puts res.body

Resources

Also published for

@apiverve/randomwordsnpm APIVerve.API.RandomWordNuGet

Only the languages APIVerve ships a client for are listed — the rest call the endpoint directly over HTTPS.

Data Generation

View all 32 →

All articles →

Generate Barcodes for Inventory and ShippingCreate Code 128 and Code 39 barcodes programmatically. Tutorial for inventory systems, shipping labels, and asset tracking.Read

Add Secure Password Generation to Your AppGenerate cryptographically secure passwords via API. Tutorial with code examples for signup flows, admin panels, and password managers.Read

QR Codes Are Back (And This Time It's Different)Remember when QR codes were a punchline? Now they're everywhere. Here's why this time it stuck.Read

Random Word API

Try it — live request, no key required

About the Random Word API

What people use it for

Ways to call it

Other ways to use Random Word

Questions.

Request parameters — GET /v1/randomwords

Authentication

Response — GET /v1/randomwords

Response fields

Response headers

Errors

What a call costs — 2 credits per call

Call it from cURL — GET /v1/randomwords

Resources

Also published for

Call it from Node.js — GET /v1/randomwords

Resources

Also published for

Call it from Python — GET /v1/randomwords

Resources

Also published for

Call it from C# / .NET — GET /v1/randomwords

Resources

Also published for

Call it from Go — GET /v1/randomwords

Resources

Also published for

Call it from PHP — GET /v1/randomwords

Resources

Also published for

Call it from Ruby — GET /v1/randomwords

Resources

Also published for

Zero-code embed — one snippet, no backend

Changelog — Random Word API

Data Generation

Related articles

Ready to build with Random Word? Start with 200 free credits — one key unlocks all 300+ APIs.

Explore the catalog