English Irish Dictionary
Free offline English-Irish (Gaeilge) dictionary. Look up translations instantly without internet. Great for Irish language learners and cultural enthusiasts.
Key Features
100% Offline
Look up Irish words anytime, anywhere — no internet connection needed.
Fast Search
Instant results as you type. Find the word you need in milliseconds.
Completely Free
No hidden costs, no subscriptions, no in-app purchases required.
Android & iOS
Available on both Google Play Store and Apple App Store.
Comprehensive
Thousands of words and phrases covering everyday vocabulary and more.
Bidirectional
Search from English to Irish or Irish to English seamlessly.
About English Irish Dictionary
This English-Irish dictionary helps you learn and use the Irish language (Gaeilge) offline. It is an essential tool for students, cultural enthusiasts, and anyone interested in preserving and learning this beautiful Celtic language.
About Irish
Irish (Gaeilge) is a Celtic language and the first official language of Ireland. It is spoken daily by communities in Gaeltacht regions. Irish has a rich literary tradition spanning over 1,500 years.
Who is this app for? Irish language learners, students in Ireland, cultural enthusiasts, Gaeltacht visitors.
Spelling that looks arbitrary and is not
Irish spelling has a reputation for bearing no relation to pronunciation. Bhfuil, oíche, Siobhán — the letter-to-sound mapping is clearly not English. But it is systematic, and the system is doing something English spelling does not.
Every Irish consonant comes in two versions, traditionally called broad and slender, and the difference changes meaning. Rather than inventing new letters, Irish marks it with the surrounding vowels: the vowels next to a consonant tell you which version it is. Many of the vowels in a written Irish word are there to specify consonant quality rather than to be pronounced themselves. Once you know that, the spelling becomes readable.
Words change at the front
English modifies words at the end. Irish modifies them at the beginning, through initial mutations. Lenition inserts an h after the first consonant — bád (boat) becomes bhád. Eclipsis replaces the initial sound outright — bád becomes mbád.
These are triggered grammatically, by possessives, prepositions, certain particles and numbers. The consequence for dictionary use is direct: the word in front of you may not begin with the letter it is filed under, and knowing to strip a mutation before searching is a core skill.
Word order and reach
Irish is verb-subject-object, so the verb comes first: tá mé is "am I" in the sense of "I am". It also has no single word for yes or no — you answer by repeating the verb, affirmatively or negatively.
Around 1.7 million people in Ireland report some ability in Irish, with a considerably smaller number using it daily, mostly in Gaeltacht areas. It is the first official language of Ireland and an official language of the European Union.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does Irish spelling look so different from its pronunciation?
Because many written vowels specify consonant quality rather than being pronounced. Irish consonants come in broad and slender versions that change meaning, and the surrounding vowels mark which is intended. The system is consistent once you know what it is encoding.
What are initial mutations?
Grammatical changes to the beginning of a word. Lenition adds an h after the first consonant — bád becomes bhád — and eclipsis replaces the initial sound, giving mbád. They are triggered by possessives, prepositions and certain particles.
How do I look up a word that has been mutated?
Strip the mutation to recover the base form: bhád and mbád are both filed under bád. Recognising and removing mutations is one of the first practical skills in reading Irish.
How do you say yes and no in Irish?
There is no single word for either. You answer by repeating the verb of the question in affirmative or negative form, which is one of the more distinctive things about how the language works.
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