How to use the English Random Words API in Ruby

Generate English Random Words with Pronunciation. This guide calls it from Ruby with code we've run against the live endpoint.

Online · 1168 msEndpoint tested Oct 24, 2026

1. What you need

Ruby 2.7 or newer. net/http and json are in the standard library.

No API key or sign-up. Endpoint: https://random-words-api.vercel.app/word

Ruby

require "net/http"
require "json"

data = JSON.parse(Net::HTTP.get(URI("https://random-words-api.vercel.app/word")))
puts data

Trimmed from the live response on Oct 24, 2026.

JSON

{
  "word": "Guignol",
  "definition": "Something intended to horrify people  ",
  "pronunciation": "Kuiknol"
}

Set a timeout and handle non-200 responses: free APIs can rate-limit or go down.
Cache responses where you can, instead of calling the API on every page view.
Read the official documentation ↗ for rate limits and terms of use.

No. The English Random Words API works without an API key, so the Ruby example runs as-is.

Yes. It sends CORS headers, so front-end JavaScript can call it directly.

JSON. The example response on this page is trimmed from a real response our health check received on Oct 24, 2026.