# Parameters reference

Requests use the standard HTTP API pattern.

See [HTTP API Overview](/api-reference/overview.md) for endpoint details and GET vs POST.

These parameters work with any `cmd`.

| Name           | Type    | Required   | Description                                                                                                                                                                        |
| -------------- | ------- | ---------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `serviceid`    | string  | Cloud only | Cloud API key. Required for Cloud requests. Not used on-premises.                                                                                                                  |
| `format`       | string  | No         | Response format. Values: `json` (default), `xml`.                                                                                                                                  |
| `callback`     | string  | No         | JSONP wrapper function name. Use only with `format=json`.                                                                                                                          |
| `short_answer` | boolean | No         | <p>JSON only. When <code>true</code>, shortens JSON keys to reduce payload size.<br>See <a href="/pages/VXTsQ0sY5BFRLUsqxnbL#boolean-parameter-values">boolean parameters</a>.</p> |

See [Overview](/api-reference/overview.md#common-parameters) for details.

### Parameters

| Parameter     | Type                                | Used by                             | Required      | Notes                                                                                                                                                                                              |
| ------------- | ----------------------------------- | ----------------------------------- | ------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `cmd`         | string                              | All                                 | Yes           | Always `custom_dictionary`.                                                                                                                                                                        |
| `action`      | string                              | All                                 | Yes           | One of: `create`, `delete`, `addwords`, `deletewords`, `getwords`, `getdicts`, `edit`.                                                                                                             |
| `id`          | integer or comma-separated integers | All except `create`                 | Depends       | `delete` and `getdicts` accept multiple IDs. Other actions require exactly one ID.                                                                                                                 |
| `lang`        | string                              | `create`                            | Yes           | Language code like `en_US`.                                                                                                                                                                        |
| `description` | string                              | `create`, `edit`                    | `create`: Yes | Must be unique per account.                                                                                                                                                                        |
| `wordlist`    | string (comma-separated)            | `create`, `addwords`, `deletewords` | Depends       | Optional for `create`. Required for `addwords` and `deletewords`.                                                                                                                                  |
| `state`       | boolean                             | `edit`                              | Optional      | `true` enables. `false` disables.                                                                                                                                                                  |
| `overwrite`   | boolean                             | `addwords`                          | Optional      | <p>When <code>true</code>, replaces the entire dictionary wordlist. Default: <code>false</code>.<br>See <a href="/pages/VXTsQ0sY5BFRLUsqxnbL#boolean-parameter-values">boolean parameters</a>.</p> |

### Validation rules

#### Words (`wordlist`)

* Max **63** characters per word
* No spaces
* No punctuation or special characters

{% hint style="info" %}
Words already recognized as correct by the spellcheck engine for the dictionary language are filtered out.

They won’t be stored in the dictionary.
{% endhint %}

#### Description (`description`)

* Required for `create`.
* Must be unique per account.
* For `edit`, setting the same description can still conflict.

#### State (`state`)

* `true`: enabled and used in spellcheck.
* `false`: disabled and excluded from spellcheck.

#### `overwrite`

When `overwrite=true` for `addwords`, the server replaces the whole dictionary wordlist.

{% hint style="warning" %}
`overwrite=true` is destructive.

It removes all existing words not present in the request.
{% endhint %}


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# Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation

If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question.

Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter:

```
GET https://docs.wproofreader.com/api-reference/custom-dictionary-api/parameters-reference.md?ask=<question>
```

The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language.
The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation.

Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.