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Dictionary Doesn't Work in Big Sur 11.2.1

Interesting that the New Oxford American Dictionary stopped working for force-click word lookup with the 11.2.1 Big Sur update, but the UK version of the same dictionary DOES work! I've already gone into Dictionary's Preferences and set them to use the New Oxford American Dictionary, but no matter what word I look up, I get no results. Many others are having the same problem. Please help!

MacBook Air

Posted on Feb 10, 2021 7:29 PM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Mar 19, 2021 12:45 PM

Here is the solution to the problem. I posted it somewhere else, and I'm sorry I didn't post it here, too, since I'm the one who asked the original question! Apparently my Dictionary.app database file for the Oxford English (American) dictionary got corrupted. These instructions, posted by Grant Ireland in Hong Kong, were perfect (except for one minor step he left out). Here they are, with the missing step now included:


I had a major success today by finally finding some instructions for fixing a my broken Dictionary.app. I could not force click to look up a word, and I could not use the US English Oxford dictionary, while all the others worked fine. And my Preference window was missing a pain that showed up on Ruey's computer but not on mine. I had to:


  1. Set preferences in Dictionary.app so that no dictionaries are enabled.
  2. Close the app.
  3. Go into recovery mode [on new MacBook Air, just shut down and then hold down start button while restarting until you see boot options].
  4. Open Terminal, type "csrutil disable", and restart computer.
  5. Go to 2 long folder paths: /System/Library/AssetsV2/PreinstalledAssetsV2/InstallWithOs/com_apple_MobileAsset_DictionaryServices_dictionaryOSX and /System/Library/AssetsV2/com_apple_MobileAsset_DictionaryServices_dictionaryOSX and delete everything inside.
  6. Restart Dictionary and set the dictionaries you want, and they will all download from Apple right before your eyes
  7. EMPTY YOUR TRASH! (this was the missing step)
  8. Go back into recovery mode and run "csrutil enable" and reboot.


I'd been fighting with this dictionary problem for 2 months! So thank you Grant Ireland! Here was his answer, and it was NOT easy to find on line!


https://discussions.apple.com/thread/250985510?answerId=251904729022#251904729022

9 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Mar 19, 2021 12:45 PM in response to chateau19fr

Here is the solution to the problem. I posted it somewhere else, and I'm sorry I didn't post it here, too, since I'm the one who asked the original question! Apparently my Dictionary.app database file for the Oxford English (American) dictionary got corrupted. These instructions, posted by Grant Ireland in Hong Kong, were perfect (except for one minor step he left out). Here they are, with the missing step now included:


I had a major success today by finally finding some instructions for fixing a my broken Dictionary.app. I could not force click to look up a word, and I could not use the US English Oxford dictionary, while all the others worked fine. And my Preference window was missing a pain that showed up on Ruey's computer but not on mine. I had to:


  1. Set preferences in Dictionary.app so that no dictionaries are enabled.
  2. Close the app.
  3. Go into recovery mode [on new MacBook Air, just shut down and then hold down start button while restarting until you see boot options].
  4. Open Terminal, type "csrutil disable", and restart computer.
  5. Go to 2 long folder paths: /System/Library/AssetsV2/PreinstalledAssetsV2/InstallWithOs/com_apple_MobileAsset_DictionaryServices_dictionaryOSX and /System/Library/AssetsV2/com_apple_MobileAsset_DictionaryServices_dictionaryOSX and delete everything inside.
  6. Restart Dictionary and set the dictionaries you want, and they will all download from Apple right before your eyes
  7. EMPTY YOUR TRASH! (this was the missing step)
  8. Go back into recovery mode and run "csrutil enable" and reboot.


I'd been fighting with this dictionary problem for 2 months! So thank you Grant Ireland! Here was his answer, and it was NOT easy to find on line!


https://discussions.apple.com/thread/250985510?answerId=251904729022#251904729022

Mar 19, 2021 5:05 PM in response to chateau19fr

You're welcome. I think I should have added, by way of explanation, that it's likely that the dictionary database file for Oxford English (American) dictionary was damaged somehow when I set up my new MacBook Air by doing a restore using the Time Machine backup from my old MacBook Pro. Both computers were running the latest OS and it was otherwise a good backup, but that may be when my Oxford English (American) dictionary stopped working. Apparently that person in Hong Kong, Grant Ireland, was the only person in the world who had the solution. I looked and looked for 2 months. I switched out my Dictionary.app with one from my wife's computer and tried setting up my language preferences, but nothing could bring back that one dictionary.

Dictionary Doesn't Work in Big Sur 11.2.1

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