week3-Testing the Free Dictionary API: Searching for Phonetics in the Wild

Intro

Recently, I’ve been working with the Free Dictionary API, and I thought it’d be fun to test how well it handles phonetics. The goal is to use this API to fetch phonetic transcriptions for words and help people learn IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet). To do this, I wrote a script that sends each word from a list to the API, fetches the phonetics, and displays them in a nice format. Here’s a look at the main part of the code:


    for (const word of words) {
        if (word === ',' || word === '.' || word === ':') {
            originalWords.push(word);
            updatedWords.push(word);
            colorClasses.push(""); 
            continue;
        }

        const url = `https://api.dictionaryapi.dev/api/v2/entries/en/${word}`;
        try {
            const response = await fetch(url);
            const data = await response.json();

            if (data && data[0] && data[0].phonetic) {
                let phoneticText = data[0].phonetic.replace(/ˈ/g, '').replace(/\//g, '').replace(/,/g, ''); 
                phoneticText = phoneticText.split('').join(' ');

                const colorClass = getRandomColorClass(); 
                originalWords.push(`<span class="highlight ${colorClass}" data-word="${word}">${word}</span>`);
                updatedWords.push(`<span class="highlight ${colorClass}" data-word="${colorClass}" data-phonetic="${phoneticText}">${phoneticText}</span>`);
                colorClasses.push(colorClass);
            } else {
                originalWords.push(word); 
                updatedWords.push(word); 
                colorClasses.push("");
            }
        } catch (error) {
            originalWords.push(word);
            updatedWords.push(word);
            colorClasses.push("");
        }
    }

This setup allows me to send each word, check if there’s phonetic data, and if so, clean up the response (removing slashes or apostrophes) and display it. If the API doesn’t return phonetic data, I just show the original word.

So far, it works pretty well… except when it doesn’t. Take the word "survey", for example—there’s no phonetic data for it. This isn’t a one-off either; several words seem to be missing this key info, which got me thinking about the bigger picture.

What’s Going on With the Data?

This API was created because, as the developer put it, "There was no free Dictionary API on the web when I wanted one for my friend, so I created one." It’s a cool concept, and it's open for anyone to use, but the data isn’t always consistent. Like I mentioned, phonetics for common words are sometimes missing. It makes me wonder about the underlying source of the data and how complete it really is.

The Data Biography: Where Does It Come From?

If I were to describe a "data biography" for the Free Dictionary API, it would start with the developer’s need to fill a gap. But beyond that, things get a little murky. There’s no clear indication of where the word data originates—are they from public domain sources? A mix of different dictionaries? We don’t know. And that lack of transparency can make it tricky when you rely on it for something specific like phonetic transcriptions.

The Harm in Incomplete Data

The main issue I’ve encountered with the API is missing data. For something like learning IPA, that’s a pretty big problem because people rely on phonetic transcriptions to improve pronunciation. Without complete or accurate data, users might not get the full benefit. In some cases, it could even mislead learners by providing incomplete information, which could lead to frustration or errors in their understanding.