Is there a kind of "official" dictionary for the English language?

Question

Context

On languages having an Academy (I know it's not the English case thanks to this SE site) it's usual that those academies edit and maintain a kind of official dictionary for that language.

Examples:

• The RAE - spanish royal academy - and the RAE spanish dictionary
• The RAG - galician royal academy - and the RAG dictionary

I speak galician and spanish natively, and use that dictionaries to access a kind of official definition for some words when writing documents, I trust that resources because are widely accepted by both language communities. I do it often:

• to ensure quality choosing words, especially within assertions. (Ex: this words are sinonyms but what should I use here?)
• for grammar doubts (Ex: is that word masculine or femenine? Is that word a plural or singular).

Usually I find myself using the definitions feature of google translate (see an example) to know a kind of formal definition for a word, but I don't know where that definitions come from. That definitions seem enough valid to me for reading purposes (knowing the meaning of a word) but for writing with a proper terminology I would like to access something more official, if there is any.

so...

Is there a kind of "official" dictionary for the English language?

If there isn't, are there good alternatives? With good I mean:

• Free, at least to access and use.
• Trustable - being widely supported by the English language community
• Online accesibility is a nice plus

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Author Notes:

1. The intents of the questions above are nothing but finding a good dictionary to daily use for the writing purposes I explained within the context.
2. Sorry if my English hurts your eyes ;)

Answer 1

English does not have an official dictionary. However, I think the three most respected ones in the United States are Merriam-Webester, Oxford's, and Collins. You have to buy an Oxford dictionary, so that's not going to work very well for you. The Merriam-Webster's website is found at http://www.merriam-webster.com, and the Collins one can be found at http://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/american-cobuild-learners. My personal favorite is http://www.dictionary.reference.com. While not as official, it is trusted by my English teacher.

And if I have learned anything in my Spanish class as school, do not trust google translate. Otherwise this is liable to happen.

Answer 2

There is no official dictionary or even consistent worldwide rules of spelling and grammar. The only real rule in English is to write so that you can be understood. The best way to do that is to use a dictionary that was created as geographically close to your audience as possible. Even if it is a free online dictionary.

Answer 3

No-one has mentioned the excellent Chambers dictionaries. It has traditionally beenoften up to date than the OED, because it was quicker to respond to new or altered meanings or incorporate new words. It is considered by some (e.g., Scrabble in the UK and the Observer newspaper) as more authoritative. Unlike the OED, it does not accept the use of 'times' as a verb to mean 'multiply' or the misuse of 'literally' as a meaningless intensifier. In such cases, the OED is seen as contributing to the mutation of English by recognising common errors.

Answer 4

https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/study

http://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/us/definition/english/

OED links above are free, online, and quite respected and considered as good authority in general.

Oxford produces many dictionaries, differing in how many words are defined and whom the primary target audience is. Here's a couple of online free OED access URLs to get you started. Look for the small, light blue icon shaped like the flared bell of a horn's mouth with arcs depicting sound waves.

When that audio icon is part of a word's listing, just click on it to hear the word pronounced. (Note - I don't know if the audio icon appears only on a computer-accessed page, or if it is or isn't also provided if access is permitted using a smartphone or tablet. I mention that because sometimes the mobile versions of apps don't have quite the same properties as computer-format ones.) Audio is seldom provided using the US dictionary option.

Use the default that simply says Dictionary. That one is for British and world English usage which is often different than Americanized English. Or in the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary, the British English and the North American English pronunciations are often provided on the same screen.

For those looking for a fairly authoritative, respected dictionary, those Oxford dictionaries linked above may be helpful.