The AP switched to Merriam-Webster as our primary dictionary on May 29. Starting then, AP Stylebook Online subscribers who paid for the dictionary component now receive Merriam-Webster dictionary guidance for the remainder of their subscription term.

We don’t take such a switch lightly, as AP style is informed by the spelling and styling recommended by our main dictionary. In recent years, we have seen that Merriam-Webster is more up to date and more in line with our approach.

In making the change to our new primary dictionary, we carefully compared our guidance with Merriam-Webster’s. We believe that a stylebook is different from a dictionary, and in doing this comparison, we eliminated many terms already listed in Merriam-Webster. We believe strongly that writers and editors need both a stylebook and a dictionary.

Subscribing to both AP Stylebook with the add-on dictionary component makes it easy for you to use your AP Stylebook in concert with the Merriam-Webster dictionary for the most complete guidance.

What do you need to do? If you subscribe to AP Stylebook with the dictionary added in and would like to make the switch with us, not a thing. 

You will be able to search the full database of Merriam-Webster entries starting on May 29.

If you prefer to stick with Webster’s New World, reach out and we’ll calculate a prorated refund for you, removing the dictionary component of your subscription starting May 29.