Fora Dictionary Pro is a dictionary viewer.

Features

Downloads

Fora Dictionary Pro is not currently available to new users.
Latest version available to existing users is 27.1 and binary checksums are available here and here.

Compatibility

Fora Dictionary Pro is compatible with the following dictionary/file types:

Setting up dictionaries

Resource files

Resource files of a dictionary can be put into multiple ZIP files with the following properties:

i) Classic (non-ZIP64) ZIP file type
ii) Flat (no sub-directories) file structure
iii) Maximum 65,535 files per ZIP file

Use "Attach ZIP" from the dictionary menu to copy and attach ZIP files to a dictionary.

Troubleshooting: If your device fails to play some audio files in resource ZIP files, you can use a batch converter utility like this app to convert the files to a canonical codec/format your device supports. Note that you must keep the filenames and extensions of audio files unchanged after the conversion since they are hardcoded in article texts.

Full-text search

The app supports searching full-text of all dictionaries for exact matches. The feature requires one-time upgrading of a dictionary which can take a very long time to complete, since every single word anywhere on the dictionary is made searchable during the process.

Synchronizing between devices

Copying/moving dictionaries between devices is done using one of the two available methods:

Import from URL

Automated importing of dictionaries from URL is no longer available. Follow the following steps to import dictionaries from URL:

i) On your computer, enter the URL on your web browser and download the file.
ii) Connect your mobile device to your computer and copy the downloaded file to the app's documents/files folder on device. See Android or iOS help for details.
iii) Open the app, select "Import Dictionary" from the "Manage" menu, select the file, and proceed.

Search types

There are five kinds of searches you can perform on dictionaries.

Troubleshooting and FAQ

Q: I bought an offline dictionary, can I use it in Fora Dictionary Pro?
A: Probably, no. Most standalone dictionaries have it's own proprietary data format incompatible with general-purpose dictionaries. You need dictionary data in one of the supported formats.

Q: Suggestions are slow when a lot of dictionaries are installed.
A: Unlike traditional search auto-completion, the app performs a complete search and matching of the query (e.g. occurrences in multi-word phrases) on all dictionaries in profile when suggestions are activated. Grouping dictionaries into smaller sets based on usage context using profiles may be helpful.

Q: I can't find the dictionary I need or the dictionary isn't displayed properly when searching.
A: Importing the dictionary using the latest version of the app or using alternate formats may be helpful.

Q: I can’t find the ".fora" folder.
A: Probably it is considered hidden. Please use a third-party file manager such as: muCommander

Q: How do I uninstall Fora Dictionary Pro from my Android device completely?
A: The application stores settings and dictionary data on the external storage, hence, you will need to manually delete the ".fora" folder there to clean up after uninstallation.

Q: How do I uninstall Fora Dictionary Pro from my computer completely?
A: The application stores dictionary data and settings separate from it’s app folder. After deleting the app, you must also delete the folder named “.foradictionary” and the file named “.fdconfig” in current user’s home folder (for example, C:\Users\<username>\.foradictionary on Windows or /Users/<username>/.foradictionary on Mac). If you can’t see the folder or file, you can use a file manager, e.g. muCommander.

Q: Why is Fora Dictionary Pro cheaper on Android than iOS/iPadOS?
A: Cost of both developing for the platform and maintaining an app in the marketplace is different on the two platforms and hence we reflect the difference in pricing the app.

Android 10+

Shared/external storage mechanism known as the SD-card has been retired starting with Android 10. The operating system now enforces all apps to use it's sandboxed folder for all it's app data. If you upgrade your device to Android 10+, you may need to copy/move and replace ".fora" folder from your device's shared storage to the app's sandboxed folder (typically Android/data/com.ngc.fora.android/files) using a file manager.

Fora Dictionary

Fora Dictionary Pro is fully data-compatible with Fora Dictionary.

Known limitations

For developers

Integration with other apps or the operating system is briefly described here.