WordNet Lookup

WordNet lookups in microseconds. No database. No downloads. No complexity.

Stop waiting for database queries or corpus downloads. wordnet-lookup gives you instant WordNet term validation using pre-compiled static dictionaries. One import, one function call, zero hassle.

Why This Exists

Traditional WordNet interfaces (NLTK, WordNet database) require corpus downloads, database connections, and I/O operations. For simple term validation, that's overkill. This library eliminates all of that by embedding WordNet terms directly in Python dictionaries. The result? Lookups in microseconds with zero external dependencies.

Quick Start

pip install wordnet-lookup

from wordnet_lookup import is_wordnet_term

# That's it. Start validating.
is_wordnet_term('alpha')        # True
is_wordnet_term('waddling')     # True
is_wordnet_term('myxovirus')    # True
is_wordnet_term('nonexistent')  # False

# Handles plurals automatically
is_wordnet_term('computers')    # True

# Case insensitive
is_wordnet_term('ALPHA')        # True

Features

• Zero Dependencies - Pure Python, no external packages
• Zero I/O - No filesystem access, no database queries
• Zero Setup - No corpus downloads or configuration
• Microsecond Lookups - O(1) dictionary access
• Smart Plurals - Automatically checks singular forms
• Simple API - One function does it all

What This Library Does (and Doesn't Do)

Does:

• Validates whether a term exists in WordNet 3.0
• Handles basic plural forms automatically
• Works offline with zero external dependencies

Doesn't:

• Provide definitions, synonyms, or semantic relationships (use NLTK for that)
• Include very recent terms, slang, or proper nouns (WordNet 3.0 is from 2006)
• Update automatically with new WordNet versions (static snapshot)
• Perform spell-checking or suggestions

Use this when: You need fast term validation for NLP preprocessing, filtering, or validation.

Don't use this when: You need definitions, synsets, semantic networks, or comprehensive spell-checking.

Documentation

For detailed usage, performance benchmarks, and advanced features, see the API Documentation.

How It Works

WordNet terms are stored as MD5 hash suffixes in 256 frozenset buckets (by first two hex characters of the hash). Lookups hash the input, route to the correct bucket, and perform O(1) set membership. Modules are lazy-loaded on first access per bucket.

For the gory details, see Implementation Notes.

Development

git clone https://github.com/craigtrim/wordnet-lookup.git
cd wordnet-lookup
make install  # Install dependencies
make test     # Run tests
make all      # Full build pipeline

See API Documentation for detailed development information.

License

This package is dual-licensed:

• Software: MIT License
• WordNet Data: Princeton WordNet License

See LICENSE for complete terms.

Attribution

This package contains data derived from Princeton WordNet 3.0 (2006):

WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

Note: This is a static snapshot of WordNet 3.0. The data is not automatically updated with newer WordNet releases.

Links

• Repository: github.com/craigtrim/wordnet-lookup
• PyPI: pypi.org/project/wordnet-lookup
• WordNet: wordnet.princeton.edu
• Author: Craig Trim (craigtrim@gmail.com)