Welcome

The Essential Scots-English Dictionary is suitable for everyone aged from 8 to 108. It provides definitions in English for 9,500 Scots words and phrases, and includes over 1,000 audio pronunciation guides. It focuses on Scots words and meanings that are used only or mainly in Scotland. For words and meanings that are found also in English you should look up a good English dictionary. 

The Essential Scots-English Dictionary is published by Dictionaries of the Scots Language SCIO, the nation’s authority on Scots. It is an online version of our Scots Dictionary for Schools app, which was first released in 2014 and updated in 2021. The 2021 edition, which was funded by the Scottish Government, won the Scots Language Awards’ Project of the Year in 2021. 

Can’t find what you’re looking for?

Visit the online Dictionaries of the Scots Language for free access to more than 75,000 entries in the Scottish National Dictionary and Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue. Covering more than 800 years of Scots usage, these dictionaries provide a unique record of the language – and of the history, culture and traditions – of Scots speakers.