Does a "Child Friendly" dictionary exist for KOReader in Stardict?

reader1xz · 08-05-2023, 12:45 AM

I have a little brother, who I've got settled on KOReader on his Libra 2, where he loves reading and all the statistics he can get. He's 9 years old, but struggles with the dictionaries I've tried with him, I've tried every one I could manage I'm not too techinically proficient. I've got SOED, the Concise Oxford English Dictionary, and all the free options found via KOReader. It's quite tough for me to find one he likes, I think he gets confused easily with the vocabulary. So if anybody could help me or guide me on how I can convert a possible dictionary or if there's way to edit it, because I don't mind putting in the effort I just am not exactly sure how.

Frenzie · 08-08-2023, 06:18 PM

I'm not really familiar with any electronic dictionaries like that I'm afraid.

enigma90 · 08-12-2023, 02:09 AM

How about Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English? It uses around 2,000 common words in definitions. I remember seeing a LDOCE in XDXF format somewhere.

jonnyl · 08-17-2023, 12:34 PM

How about the Simple English Wiktionary? I couldn't find a StarDict version, but the latest can be downloaded here

https://dumps.wikimedia.org/simplewiktionary/latest/

and I believe tools exist to convert it into StarDict.

reader1xz · 08-18-2023, 01:19 AM

That sounds like a brilliant idea, I'll try and figure out how to do it. I'm not too technically inclined, I can do a bit but hopefully I can figure it out.

reader1xz · 08-18-2023, 01:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jonnyl

How about the Simple English Wiktionary? I couldn't find a StarDict version, but the latest can be downloaded here

https://dumps.wikimedia.org/simplewiktionary/latest/

and I believe tools exist to convert it into StarDict.

I just managed to get Pyglossary running after some fumblinng. Though I'm unsure which version I should download as they all have a bunch of different names in the dump page. Do you know which one is the proper dictionary as I'm unsure to be honest.

haolihai · 02-03-2026, 11:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by reader1xz

That sounds like a brilliant idea, I'll try and figure out how to do it. I'm not too technically inclined, I can do a bit but hopefully I can figure it out.

I managed to convert a Simple English Wiktionary JSONL dump into StarDict data (attached). Works great on my Koreader. I included the word, part of speech, definition, and example sentence. I did no work at all to censor any of the content for a child audience, so be aware of that. It's much easier to understand for an early reader though.

The process took a lot of steps I don't want to document, but I'll leave keyword hints: Simple English Wiktionary JSONL, DataFileConverter, tab seperated file, notepad++, formatting via regular expressions, AI help with regular expression syntax, pyglossary.

JSWolf · 02-04-2026, 07:50 AM

When I was younger and reading, if I knew the dictionary was censored, I'd have been not happy at all. If a child can read, that child should have access to a full dictionary.

theducks · 02-04-2026, 11:12 PM

I always used my Dads Webster's 7th New Collegiate. That was good enough then, and it is till good and it now resides next to my desk.
I also grew up With Tom Sawyer, and a lot of other now banned books .

JSWolf · 02-05-2026, 08:30 AM

My parents never censored anything I read. We had World Book Encyclopedia, I had a full Merriam Webster dictionary. I read some books above my reading age.

The thing is, why censor your brother? You tell them something is prohibited and they'll want it even more. It's a matter of trust. Do you trust your kids? My parents trusted me. The liquor cabinet was in the basement and it was not locked. I didn't go and take anything, but it was nice to know I was trusted. Once your brother finds you've been censoring him, you could lose his trust. That may not be so easy to get back.

So don't do it. Forget this really bad idea of trying to find a child friendly dictionary. It could come to bite you in the ass.

You don't make an issue of "adult" words and I don't think your brother will go looking.

haolihai · 02-05-2026, 10:38 AM

I don't know if it's getting lost in this discussion on censorship, but again, I made no effort to censor any of the content in the dictionary I posted.

I did consider it though because in my case the audience is a child that started reading at 4 and just turned 5. I think there are topics that can probably wait until she's 7 or 8, but all of the definitions I read in Simple English Wiktionary for words that could potentially be a problem were to the point and not very graphic, so I left it as-is.

pdurrant · 02-05-2026, 12:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JSWolf

When I was younger and reading, if I knew the dictionary was censored, I'd have been not happy at all. If a child can read, that child should have access to a full dictionary.

Quote:

Originally Posted by JSWolf

My parents never censored anything I read. We had World Book Encyclopedia, I had a full Merriam Webster dictionary. I read some books above my reading age.

The thing is, why censor your brother? You tell them something is prohibited and they'll want it even more. It's a matter of trust. Do you trust your kids? My parents trusted me. The liquor cabinet was in the basement and it was not locked. I didn't go and take anything, but it was nice to know I was trusted. Once your brother finds you've been censoring him, you could lose his trust. That may not be so easy to get back.

So don't do it. Forget this really bad idea of trying to find a child friendly dictionary. It could come to bite you in the ass.

You don't make an issue of "adult" words and I don't think your brother will go looking.

Quote:

Originally Posted by haolihai

I don't know if it's getting lost in this discussion on censorship, but again, I made no effort to censor any of the content in the dictionary I posted.

I did consider it though because in my case the audience is a child that started reading at 4 and just turned 5. I think there are topics that can probably wait until she's 7 or 8, but all of the definitions I read in Simple English Wiktionary for words that could potentially be a problem were to the point and not very graphic, so I left it as-is.

JSWolf clearly only read the thread title before commenting. JSWolf's failing, not reader1xz's.

08-05-2023, 12:45 AM	#1
reader1xz Member Posts: 15 Karma: 10 Join Date: Apr 2023 Device: Kobo Libra 2	Does a "Child Friendly" dictionary exist for KOReader in Stardict? I have a little brother, who I've got settled on KOReader on his Libra 2, where he loves reading and all the statistics he can get. He's 9 years old, but struggles with the dictionaries I've tried with him, I've tried every one I could manage I'm not too techinically proficient. I've got SOED, the Concise Oxford English Dictionary, and all the free options found via KOReader. It's quite tough for me to find one he likes, I think he gets confused easily with the vocabulary. So if anybody could help me or guide me on how I can convert a possible dictionary or if there's way to edit it, because I don't mind putting in the effort I just am not exactly sure how.

02-05-2026, 08:30 AM	#10
JSWolf Resident Curmudgeon Posts: 82,041 Karma: 150831497 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Roslindale, Massachusetts Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kobo Aura H2O, PRS-650, PRS-T1, nook STR, PW3	My parents never censored anything I read. We had World Book Encyclopedia, I had a full Merriam Webster dictionary. I read some books above my reading age. The thing is, why censor your brother? You tell them something is prohibited and they'll want it even more. It's a matter of trust. Do you trust your kids? My parents trusted me. The liquor cabinet was in the basement and it was not locked. I didn't go and take anything, but it was nice to know I was trusted. Once your brother finds you've been censoring him, you could lose his trust. That may not be so easy to get back. So don't do it. Forget this really bad idea of trying to find a child friendly dictionary. It could come to bite you in the ass. You don't make an issue of "adult" words and I don't think your brother will go looking. Last edited by JSWolf; 02-05-2026 at 08:32 AM.

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08-08-2023, 06:18 PM	#2
Frenzie Wizard Posts: 1,805 Karma: 731691 Join Date: Oct 2014 Location: Antwerp Device: Kobo Aura H2O, Kobo Libra 2	I'm not really familiar with any electronic dictionaries like that I'm afraid.

08-12-2023, 02:09 AM	#3
enigma90 Junior Member Posts: 9 Karma: 10 Join Date: Feb 2019 Device: Kobo Glo HD	How about Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English? It uses around 2,000 common words in definitions. I remember seeing a LDOCE in XDXF format somewhere.

08-17-2023, 12:34 PM	#4
jonnyl Groupie Posts: 159 Karma: 33086 Join Date: Jan 2021 Device: Likebook Mars	How about the Simple English Wiktionary? I couldn't find a StarDict version, but the latest can be downloaded here https://dumps.wikimedia.org/simplewiktionary/latest/ and I believe tools exist to convert it into StarDict.

08-18-2023, 01:19 AM	#5
reader1xz Member Posts: 15 Karma: 10 Join Date: Apr 2023 Device: Kobo Libra 2	That sounds like a brilliant idea, I'll try and figure out how to do it. I'm not too technically inclined, I can do a bit but hopefully I can figure it out.

02-04-2026, 07:50 AM	#8
JSWolf Resident Curmudgeon Posts: 82,041 Karma: 150831497 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Roslindale, Massachusetts Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kobo Aura H2O, PRS-650, PRS-T1, nook STR, PW3	When I was younger and reading, if I knew the dictionary was censored, I'd have been not happy at all. If a child can read, that child should have access to a full dictionary.

02-04-2026, 11:12 PM	#9
theducks Well trained by Cats Posts: 31,494 Karma: 62503924 Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: The Central Coast of California Device: Kobo Libra2,Kobo Aura2v1, K4NT(Fixed: New Bat.), Galaxy Tab A	I always used my Dads Webster's 7th New Collegiate. That was good enough then, and it is till good and it now resides next to my desk. I also grew up With Tom Sawyer, and a lot of other now banned books .

02-05-2026, 10:38 AM	#11
haolihai Junior Member Posts: 5 Karma: 120330 Join Date: Sep 2025 Device: colorsoft 5.18.0.2	I don't know if it's getting lost in this discussion on censorship, but again, I made no effort to censor any of the content in the dictionary I posted. I did consider it though because in my case the audience is a child that started reading at 4 and just turned 5. I think there are topics that can probably wait until she's 7 or 8, but all of the definitions I read in Simple English Wiktionary for words that could potentially be a problem were to the point and not very graphic, so I left it as-is.