---
id: pyobjc-framework-dictionaryservices
version: "12.2.2"
license: MIT
license_treatment: permissive
maintenance: active
---

# pyobjc-framework-DictionaryServices — Wrappers for the framework DictionaryServices on macOS

License: permissive · Maintenance: active · Downloads: 621.3K/mo

## What it is and what it does

This package is a PyObjC wrapper that bridges Python to macOS's native DictionaryServices framework. It lets you access dictionary definitions, spelling suggestions, and related linguistic services that macOS provides at the system level, directly from Python code.

The package is part of the larger PyObjC project, which provides Python bindings to Objective-C frameworks on macOS. It requires pyobjc-core (the bridge itself) and pyobjc-framework-CoreServices as dependencies. The package is actively maintained, supports Python 3.10 through 3.15, and carries no known security vulnerabilities.

Use it for:

- Add dictionary lookup or word definition features to a macOS desktop application written in Python.
- Integrate spell-checking capabilities into text editors or writing tools running on macOS.
- Query linguistic services (definitions, synonyms, related terms) from system dictionaries in Python scripts.
- Build macOS-native utilities that rely on the system's built-in dictionary data without external dependencies.

## Worth the install?

AI-flagged interpretation of the facts above — verify before relying.

Provides Python bindings to macOS's DictionaryServices framework, enabling dictionary and spelling lookup functionality from Python code running on macOS.

Yes, if you are building a macOS application in Python and need access to system dictionary or spelling services. The package is actively maintained, has no security issues, uses a permissive license, and installs with low friction. It is only useful on macOS and requires Python 3.10 or later.

## Install

pip install pyobjc-framework-dictionaryservices
uv add pyobjc-framework-dictionaryservices
poetry add pyobjc-framework-dictionaryservices

## Installing pyobjc-framework-DictionaryServices

Before you install: Low friction installation as a pure-Python wheel. Actively maintained with a release 3 days old and recent commits. Requires pyobjc-core and pyobjc-framework-CoreServices as runtime dependencies.

License in practice: MIT license permits commercial and private use with minimal restrictions, making this suitable for most projects without legal concern.

Quickstart:

pip install pyobjc-framework-dictionaryservices

from DictionaryServices import DCSCopyTextDefinition
# Access macOS dictionary services through the imported framework

macOS operating system required; Python 3.10 or later; pyobjc-core and pyobjc-framework-CoreServices must be installed.

Verify before relying:

- Whether DictionaryServices framework access requires specific macOS versions or system configuration beyond Python 3.10+
- Performance characteristics when handling large-scale dictionary or spelling queries

## Package facts

- License: MIT (permissive)
- Python support: supports_current
- Install friction: low
- Maintenance: active
- Downloads: 621.3K/month (top 15,000 on PyPI)
- Known vulnerabilities: none known

## Tags

macos dictionary lookup python, pyobjc dictionary services, macos spelling check api, objective-c dictionary framework binding, macos native dictionary access, macos-native, objective-c-bindings

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