How to use a custom word list with OS X's "Word of the Day" screensaver

a-wotd-custom-word-list.md

OS X's "Word of the Day" screensaver is a great way to passively learn words:

But I've always thought that its word list kind of stunk—it was full of obscure words that I could never really see myself using. I'd prefer something like Norman Schur's 1000 Most Important Words. What if you could plug your own word list into the screensaver?

On a rather obscure comment thread, someone explained where you might find the word list that Apple uses to power the screensaver. It is at /System/Library/Graphics/Quartz\ Composer\ Plug-Ins/WOTD.plugin/Contents/Resources/NOAD_wotd_list.txt. The file looks like this:

m_en_us1282510	quinsy
m_en_us1273791	orbicular
m_en_us1220945	alimony
m_en_us1250517	genome
m_en_us1275124	palimpsest
m_en_us1246836	fibrillate
m_en_us1304617	volant
m_en_us1248876	fraudulent
m_en_us1264803	lunette
m_en_us1244369	entrepot

It is a list of tab-separated entries. On the right you have the word, and on the left, what looks like an ID. But what's it an ID for, and how would you be able to find it for another word not already on the list?

As you might expect, the ID refers to an entry in Apple's default dictionary, the "New Oxford American Dictionary". (That's what "NOAD" stands for in the word-list path above.)

I've played around with Apple's built-in dictionary files before—for my post, "You're probably using the wrong dictionary". You can find them at /Library/Dictionaries. Unfortunately, when you dig around in the dictionary packages, you find promising files—like /Library/Dictionaries/New\ Oxford\ American\ Dictionary.dictionary/Contents/EntryID.data—but these turn out to be in a custom binary format. How to parse them?

A fellow named Joseph Gentle, in a series of blog posts, shows how to get at the underlying data. In his "Apple dictionaries, part 2" post, he points to code that unpacks the binary file into XML. Using the dedict.c and strip.c files found here, and following Gentle's example, I used the following bash commands to get at the NOAD's XML (these commands are run from the directory where you downloaded the dedict.c and strip.c files):

clang dedict.c -Wall -lz -o dedict
clang strip.c -Wall -lz -o strip
./dedict "New Oxford American Dictionary" | ./strip > dict.xml

When I head-ed the first few lines of the dict.xml file, I saw something promising, with entries that looked like this:

<d:entry xmlns:d="http://www.apple.com/DTDs/DictionaryService-1.0.rng" id="m_en_us1219333" d:title="abode" class="entry">

Notice that id param... it's an identifier that looks exactly like the one in the screensaver word list!

I wrote the following Ruby script to parse the XML, and then, using my own word list, create a new screensaver file that maps my own words to their IDs in the dictionary:

raw = File.open("./dict.xml").read
my_words = File.open("./word_list.txt").readlines.map(&:chomp)

word_id_map = {}

raw.scan(/<d:entry .*? id="(.*?)" d:title="(.*?)" class="entry">/).each do |entry|
  word_id_map[entry[1]] = entry[0]
end

my_words.each do |word|
  if id = word_id_map[word]
    puts [id, word].join('	')
  end
end

When I replaced the original screensaver file with this new one, it worked. You can now have a "Word of the Day" screensaver for any word list you'd like.

(See below for my pre-made list using Norman Schur's 1000 Most Important Words. Just copy and paste it into /System/Library/Graphics/Quartz\ Composer\ Plug-Ins/WOTD.plugin/Contents/Resources/NOAD_wotd_list.txt using your favorite text editor. You will need to enter your Administrator password to save the file.)

word-list

m_en_us1219234	abate
m_en_us1219259	abdicate
m_en_us1219284	aberrant
m_en_us1219372	abrasive
m_en_us1219380	abrogate
m_en_us1219444	abstruse
m_en_us1219551	accolade
m_en_us1219624	acerbic
m_en_us1219712	acme
m_en_us1219715	acolyte
m_en_us1219732	acquiesce
m_en_us1219752	acrimonious
m_en_us1219760	acronym
m_en_us1219846	adage
m_en_us1220016	admonitory
m_en_us1220055	adroit
m_en_us1220064	adulation
m_en_us1220112	adversity
m_en_us1220146	aegis
m_en_us1220227	affable
m_en_us1220277	aficionado
m_en_us1220248	affinity
m_en_us1220409	aggrandize
m_en_us1220710	alacrity
m_en_us1220985	allay
m_en_us1220997	allegory
m_en_us1221021	alleviate
m_en_us1221048	alliteration
m_en_us1221286	amanuensis
m_en_us1221317	ambience
m_en_us1221320	ambiguous
m_en_us1221326	ambivalent
m_en_us1221343	ambulatory
m_en_us1221356	amenable
m_en_us1221361	amenity
m_en_us1221478	amorous
m_en_us1221479	amorphous
m_en_us1221583	anachronism
m_en_us1221613	analogy
m_en_us1221654	anathema
m_en_us1221693	ancillary
m_en_us1221945	annals
m_en_us1222000	anomaly
m_en_us1222112	anthropology
m_en_us1222114	anthropomorphic
m_en_us1222133	antic
m_en_us1222227	antiquity
m_en_us1222246	antithesis
m_en_us1222358	aphorism
m_en_us1222378	aplomb
m_en_us1222383	apocalypse
m_en_us1222391	apocryphal
m_en_us1222430	apostate
m_en_us1222448	apotheosis
m_en_us1222482	appellation
m_en_us1222542	apposite
m_en_us1222552	apprehend
m_en_us1222565	appropriate
m_en_us1222590	apt
m_en_us1222693	arbiter
m_en_us1222725	arcane
m_en_us1222730	arch
m_en_us1222813	arduous
m_en_us1222861	argot
m_en_us1222883	arid
m_en_us1223026	arrant
m_en_us1223045	arrogate
m_en_us1223058	arsenal
m_en_us1223094	artful
m_en_us1223136	artless
m_en_us1223188	ascetic
m_en_us1223303	asperity
m_en_us1223306	aspersion
m_en_us1223647	atrophy
m_en_us1223677	attenuate
m_en_us1223780	augur
m_en_us1223835	auspicious
m_en_us1223954	autonomous
m_en_us1224056	avuncular
m_en_us1224100	axiom
m_en_us1224418	badinage
m_en_us1224477	bailiwick
m_en_us1224561	baleful
m_en_us1224682	banal
m_en_us1225203	bastion
m_en_us1225243	bathos
m_en_us1225733	behemoth
m_en_us1225822	bellicose
m_en_us1225824	belligerent
m_en_us1226125	bestow
m_en_us1226275	bibulous
m_en_us1227016	blandishment
m_en_us1227058	blatant
m_en_us1228207	bovine
m_en_us1228536	bravado
m_en_us1228716	brickbat
m_en_us1228936	bromide
m_en_us1228980	brook
m_en_us1229011	brouhaha
m_en_us1229114	brusque
m_en_us1229234	bucolic
m_en_us1229510	burgeon
m_en_us1229862	cabal
m_en_us1229963	cadaverous
m_en_us1229978	cadge
m_en_us1230050	cajole
m_en_us1230226	calumny
m_en_us1230363	canard
m_en_us1230405	candor
m_en_us1230468	canon
m_en_us1230488	cant
m_en_us1230495	cantankerous
m_en_us1230906	carnal
m_en_us1230951	carp
m_en_us1231009	carrion
m_en_us1231193	castigate
m_en_us1231225	casuistry
m_en_us1231235	cataclysm
m_en_us1231337	catharsis
m_en_us1231358	catholic
m_en_us1231459	caveat
m_en_us1414800	celibacy
m_en_us1232018	champion
m_en_us1232183	charlatan
m_en_us1232243	chary
m_en_us1232559	chicanery
m_en_us1232594	chide
m_en_us1232673	chimera
m_en_us1233189	churlish
m_en_us1233295	cipher
m_en_us1233336	circumlocution
m_en_us1233343	circumspect
m_en_us1233491	clandestine
m_en_us1233506	claptrap
m_en_us1233626	cleave
m_en_us1233641	clemency
m_en_us1233898	cloy
m_en_us1234264	cogent
m_en_us1234282	cognizant
m_en_us1234426	collation
m_en_us1234493	colloquy
m_en_us1234941	complacent
m_en_us1234945	complaisant
m_en_us1234948	complement
m_en_us1234973	compliant
m_en_us1235154	concomitant
m_en_us1235167	concrete
m_en_us1235222	conduit
m_en_us1235453	consensus
m_en_us1235573	consummate
m_en_us1235619	contentious
m_en_us1235627	context
m_en_us1235722	contretemps
m_en_us1235728	contrite
m_en_us1235745	contumacious
m_en_us1235751	conundrum
m_en_us1235888	co-opt
m_en_us1235922	copious
m_en_us1236145	corollary
m_en_us1236188	corporeal
m_en_us1236218	correlate
m_en_us1236280	coruscate
m_en_us1236337	cosset
m_en_us1236377	coterie
m_en_us1236894	craven
m_en_us1236896	craw
m_en_us1236950	creditable
m_en_us1236962	credulous
m_en_us1237026	crestfallen
m_en_us1237600	culpable
m_en_us1237752	curmudgeon
m_en_us1237787	curt
m_en_us1238027	cynosure
m_en_us1238205	dalliance
m_en_us1238454	daub
m_en_us1238465	dauntless
m_en_us1238658	dearth
m_en_us1238692	debacle
m_en_us1238698	debase
m_en_us1238709	debilitate
m_en_us1238730	debunk
m_en_us1238810	decimate
m_en_us1238893	decorum
m_en_us1238924	deduce
m_en_us1238933	deem
m_en_us1239016	deferential
m_en_us1239043	definitive
m_en_us1239177	delectation
m_en_us1239185	deleterious
m_en_us1239423	denigrate
m_en_us1239429	denizen
m_en_us1239553	deprecate
m_en_us1239594	deracinate
m_en_us1239614	derelict
m_en_us1239619	deride
m_en_us1239622	derisive
m_en_us1239654	derogatory
m_en_us1239688	descry
m_en_us1239689	desecrate
m_en_us1239713	desiccate
m_en_us1239797	desuetude
m_en_us1239799	desultory
m_en_us1239856	detrimental
m_en_us1239859	detritus
m_en_us1239983	dexterous
m_en_us1240118	diaphanous
m_en_us1240150	diatribe
m_en_us1240213	didactic
m_en_us1240292	diffident
m_en_us1240356	digress
m_en_us1240381	dilettante
m_en_us1240423	diminution
m_en_us1240640	disaffection
m_en_us1240722	disconsolate
m_en_us1240764	discursive
m_en_us1240770	disdain
m_en_us1240847	disingenuous
m_en_us1240911	disparate
m_en_us1240986	dissemble
m_en_us1240995	dissertation
m_en_us1241013	dissolute
m_en_us1241060	distraught
m_en_us1241320	doff
m_en_us1241340	dogged
m_en_us1241343	doggerel
m_en_us1241357	dogmatic
m_en_us1241403	doleful
m_en_us1241432	dolt
m_en_us1241478	don
m_en_us1241588	dormant
m_en_us1241623	dossier
m_en_us1241759	doughty
m_en_us1241884	doyen
m_en_us1241909	draconian
m_en_us1242139	droll
m_en_us1242384	dudgeon
m_en_us1242541	duplicity
m_en_us1242963	ebullient
m_en_us1243026	eclectic
m_en_us1243234	effective
m_en_us1243239	effectual
m_en_us1243247	efficacious
m_en_us1243251	efficient
m_en_us1243264	effrontery
m_en_us1243265	effulgent
m_en_us1243315	egregious
m_en_us1243316	egress
m_en_us1243602	elegy
m_en_us1243643	elicit
m_en_us1243644	elide
m_en_us1243718	elucidate
m_en_us1243810	emend
m_en_us1243823	emeritus
m_en_us1243861	emote
m_en_us1243890	empirical
m_en_us1243920	emulate
m_en_us1243997	encomium
m_en_us1244036	endemic
m_en_us1244131	enervate
m_en_us1244205	enigmatic
m_en_us1244229	enmity
m_en_us1244234	ennui
m_en_us1244409	envisage
m_en_us1244462	ephemeral
m_en_us1244488	epicure
m_en_us1244514	epigram
m_en_us1244562	epitaph
m_en_us1244568	epithet
m_en_us1244569	epitome
m_en_us1244597	equable
m_en_us1244654	equitable
m_en_us1244667	equivocal
m_en_us1244769	errant
m_en_us1244778	ersatz
m_en_us1244785	erudite
m_en_us1244850	eschew
m_en_us1244883	esoteric
m_en_us1245021	ethereal
m_en_us1245085	etymology
m_en_us1245123	eulogy
m_en_us1245130	euphemism
m_en_us1245139	euphoric
m_en_us1245347	exacerbate
m_en_us1245442	excoriate
m_en_us1245443	excrement
m_en_us1245452	exculpate
m_en_us1245462	execrable
m_en_us1245479	exegesis
m_en_us1245482	exemplary
m_en_us1245521	exhort
m_en_us1245526	exigency
m_en_us1245564	exonerate
m_en_us1245575	exorcise
m_en_us1245606	expatiate
m_en_us1245639	expiate
m_en_us1245680	expostulate
m_en_us1245696	expropriate
m_en_us1245700	expunge
m_en_us1245715	extempore
m_en_us1245729	extenuate
m_en_us1245746	extirpate
m_en_us1245787	extrapolate
m_en_us1245819	exuberant
m_en_us1245928	facet
m_en_us1245942	facile
m_en_us1245943	facilitate
m_en_us1246121	fallow
m_en_us1246160	falter
m_en_us1246310	farrago
m_en_us1246416	fatuous
m_en_us1246482	feasible
m_en_us1246512	feckless
m_en_us1246514	fecund
m_en_us1246574	feisty
m_en_us1246581	felicitate
m_en_us1246583	felicitous
m_en_us1246584	felicity
m_en_us1246667	feral
m_en_us1246703	ferret
m_en_us1246755	festoon
m_en_us1246800	fey
m_en_us1246819	fiasco
m_en_us1246820	fiat
m_en_us1246895	fiduciary
m_en_us1246987	figurative
m_en_us1247165	finite
m_en_us1247476	flaccid
m_en_us1247487	flagellate
m_en_us1247528	flamboyant
m_en_us1247623	flatulent
m_en_us1247652	flay
m_en_us1247674	fledgling
m_en_us1247898	flout
m_en_us1248205	foment
m_en_us1248220	font
m_en_us1248337	foray
m_en_us1248358	force majeure
m_en_us1248438	forensic
m_en_us1248547	formidable
m_en_us1248608	fortuitous
m_en_us1248669	founder
m_en_us1248774	fractious
m_en_us1249318	fruition
m_en_us1249487	fulminate
m_en_us1249492	fulsome
m_en_us1249628	furtive
m_en_us1249649	fusillade
m_en_us1249744	gadfly
m_en_us1250117	garrulous
m_en_us1250227	gauche
m_en_us1250455	generic
m_en_us1250460	genesis
m_en_us1250523	genre
m_en_us1250647	germane
m_en_us1251553	googol
m_en_us1251620	gormandize
m_en_us1251635	gossamer
m_en_us1252001	gratuitous
m_en_us1252002	gratuity
m_en_us1252004	gravamen
m_en_us1252291	gregarious
m_en_us1252744	guise
m_en_us1253005	habituate
m_en_us1253031	hackneyed
m_en_us1253152	halcyon
m_en_us1253529	harbinger
m_en_us1253672	harridan
m_en_us1419510	hedonist
m_en_us1254205	hegemony
m_en_us1254225	heinous
m_en_us1254588	hermaphrodite
m_en_us1254692	heterogeneous
m_en_us1254723	heuristic
m_en_us1254779	hiatus
m_en_us1254822	hie
m_en_us1255513	homily
m_en_us1255532	homogeneous
m_en_us1255621	honorarium
m_en_us1256139	hubris
m_en_us1256544	hyperbole
m_en_us1256878	iconoclast
m_en_us1256974	idyllic
m_en_us1257017	ignominy
m_en_us1257117	illusory
m_en_us1257165	imbibe
m_en_us1257167	imbroglio
m_en_us1257197	immemorial
m_en_us1257280	impassive
m_en_us1257286	impecunious
m_en_us1257288	impede
m_en_us1257337	implacable
m_en_us1257342	implement
m_en_us1257343	implicate
m_en_us1257346	implicit
m_en_us1257354	imponderable
m_en_us1257359	importunate
m_en_us1257360	importune
m_en_us1257413	impugn
m_en_us1257421	impute
m_en_us1420480	inauspicious
m_en_us1257478	incarnate
m_en_us1257500	inchoate
m_en_us1257511	incipient
m_en_us1257522	inclement
m_en_us1257538	incognito
m_en_us1257565	incongruous
m_en_us1257600	increment
m_en_us1257599	incredulous
m_en_us1257612	incubus
m_en_us1257614	inculcate
m_en_us1257618	incumbent
m_en_us1420690	indecorous
m_en_us1257753	indigenous
m_en_us1257754	indigent
m_en_us1257804	indolent
m_en_us1257875	ineffable
m_en_us1258068	ingenuous
m_en_us1258248	inordinate
m_en_us1258294	inscrutable
m_en_us1421230	insouciant
m_en_us1258425	insular
m_en_us1258452	intangible
m_en_us1258556	interdict
m_en_us1258615	interlocutor
m_en_us1258702	interpolate
m_en_us1258797	intractable
m_en_us1258804	intransigent
m_en_us1258815	intrepid
m_en_us1258847	intuit
m_en_us1258861	inure
m_en_us1258883	invective
m_en_us1258922	inviolable
m_en_us1259315	issue
m_en_us1259713	jejune
m_en_us1259799	jettison
m_en_us1260124	journeyman
m_en_us1260384	juxtapose
m_en_us1260680	keen
m_en_us1260725	ken
m_en_us1261061	kinetic
m_en_us1261203	kite
m_en_us1261210	kitsch
m_en_us1261304	knell
m_en_us1261490	kowtow
m_en_us1261769	lachrymose
m_en_us1261782	laconic
m_en_us1261823	lacuna
m_en_us1261903	lagniappe
m_en_us1262018	lament
m_en_us1262164	languish
m_en_us1262307	lassitude
m_en_us1262345	latent
m_en_us1262412	laudatory
m_en_us1262508	lax
m_en_us1262513	lay
m_en_us1263081	lethargic
m_en_us1263207	lexicon
m_en_us1263551	limn
m_en_us1263576	linchpin
m_en_us1263565	limpid
m_en_us1263770	lissome
m_en_us1263796	litany
m_en_us1263845	litigious
m_en_us1264174	logy
m_en_us1264356	loquacious
m_en_us1264725	lugubrious
m_en_us1264838	lurid
m_en_us1265137	macrocosm
m_en_us1265521	maladroit
m_en_us1265580	malfeasance
m_en_us1265591	malign
m_en_us1265601	malleable
m_en_us1266272	martinet
m_en_us1266432	masticate
m_en_us1266514	matriculate
m_en_us1266584	maw
m_en_us1266585	mawkish
m_en_us1266959	megalomania
m_en_us1267125	mendicant
m_en_us1267241	mercurial
m_en_us1267260	meretricious
m_en_us1267380	messianic
m_en_us1267444	metamorphosis
m_en_us1267447	metaphor
m_en_us1267453	metaphysics
m_en_us1267471	mete
m_en_us1267636	miasma
m_en_us1267695	microcosm
m_en_us1267897	mien
m_en_us1267949	milieu
m_en_us1267965	militate
m_en_us1268244	minutiae
m_en_us1268293	misanthrope
m_en_us1268297	misapprehension
m_en_us1268298	misappropriate
m_en_us1268327	miscreant
m_en_us1268389	misnomer
m_en_us1268393	misogyny
m_en_us1268489	mitigate
m_en_us1268646	modicum
m_en_us1268764	molt
m_en_us1269187	morass
m_en_us1269200	mordant
m_en_us1269417	motif
m_en_us1269515	mountebank
m_en_us1269763	mulct
m_en_us1269926	mundane
m_en_us1270314	nadir
m_en_us1270529	nascent
m_en_us1270788	nebulous
m_en_us1270929	nemesis
m_en_us1271068	nether
m_en_us1271445	niggardly
m_en_us1271497	nihilism
m_en_us1271753	nomenclature
m_en_us1271919	non sequitur
m_en_us1272153	nostrum
m_en_us1272270	noxious
m_en_us1272318	nubile
m_en_us1272376	nugatory
m_en_us1272612	obdurate
m_en_us1272617	obeisance
m_en_us1272628	obfuscate
m_en_us1272673	oblivion
m_en_us1272676	obloquy
m_en_us1272693	obscurantism
m_en_us1272699	obsequies
m_en_us1272722	obstreperous
m_en_us1272731	obtrude
m_en_us1272737	obtuse
m_en_us1272741	obviate
m_en_us1272769	occlude
m_en_us1272905	odious
m_en_us1272961	offal
m_en_us1273305	Olympian
m_en_us1273329	ombudsman
m_en_us1273353	omniscient
m_en_us1273412	onerous
m_en_us1273844	ordure
m_en_us1274143	ostensible
m_en_us1274147	ostentatious
m_en_us1274176	ostracize
m_en_us1274212	otiose
m_en_us1274957	paean
m_en_us1275199	palpable
m_en_us1275231	panache
m_en_us1275285	panegyric
m_en_us1275334	panoply
m_en_us1275352	pantheon
m_en_us1275492	paradox
m_en_us1275542	parameter
m_en_us1275656	pariah
m_en_us1275726	parlous
m_en_us1275739	parochial
m_en_us1275753	paroxysm
m_en_us1275776	parsimonious
m_en_us1275984	pastiche
m_en_us1275994	pastoral
m_en_us1276045	patent
m_en_us1276083	pathos
m_en_us1276109	patrician
m_en_us1276159	paucity
m_en_us1276401	peccadillo
m_en_us1276434	pecuniary
m_en_us1276436	pedagogue
m_en_us1276446	pedant
m_en_us1276455	pedestrian
m_en_us1276632	penchant
m_en_us1276774	penultimate
m_en_us1276776	penurious
m_en_us1276887	peremptory
m_en_us1276913	perfidious
m_en_us1276934	perfunctory
m_en_us1276996	peripatetic
m_en_us1276998	peripheral
m_en_us1277085	peroration
m_en_us1277107	perquisite
m_en_us1277134	persiflage
m_en_us1277143	persona
m_en_us1277188	perspicacious
m_en_us1277210	peruse
m_en_us1277215	pervasive
m_en_us1445216	philistine
m_en_us1277572	phlegmatic
m_en_us1278317	piquant
m_en_us1278425	pithy
m_en_us1278490	placate
m_en_us1278492	placebo
m_en_us1278509	placid
m_en_us1278548	plaintive
m_en_us1278577	plangent
m_en_us1278687	platitude
m_en_us1278705	plaudits
m_en_us1278792	plethora
m_en_us1279164	polemic
m_en_us1279306	polyglot
m_en_us1279433	ponderous
m_en_us1279457	pontificate
m_en_us1279642	portend
m_en_us1279831	postulate
m_en_us1279905	potpourri
m_en_us1279917	potter
m_en_us1280091	pragmatic
m_en_us1280131	prate
m_en_us1280136	prattle
m_en_us1280207	precipitate
m_en_us1280211	precipitous
m_en_us1280233	precursor
m_en_us1280268	predilection
m_en_us1280288	preen
m_en_us1280323	prehensile
m_en_us1280452	presage
m_en_us1426180	prescience
m_en_us1280486	presentiment
m_en_us1280597	prevaricate
m_en_us1280622	priapic
m_en_us1280724	primogeniture
m_en_us1280725	primordial
m_en_us1280850	privy
m_en_us1280893	probity
m_en_us1280924	proclivity
m_en_us1280930	procreate
m_en_us1280948	prodigal
m_en_us1280949	prodigious
m_en_us1280950	prodigy
m_en_us1280972	profane
m_en_us1280995	profligate
m_en_us1281013	prognosis
m_en_us1281015	prognosticate
m_en_us1281061	proliferate
m_en_us1281064	prolific
m_en_us1281066	prolix
m_en_us1281110	prone
m_en_us1281170	prophylactic
m_en_us1281172	propinquity
m_en_us1281175	propitiate
m_en_us1281177	propitious
m_en_us1281197	proprietary
m_en_us1281218	prosaic
m_en_us1281231	proselytize
m_en_us1281283	protean
m_en_us1281352	protracted
m_en_us1281398	proviso
m_en_us1281411	prowess
m_en_us1281441	prurient
m_en_us1281680	puckish
m_en_us1281696	puerile
m_en_us1281743	pulchritude
m_en_us1281837	punctilious
m_en_us1281845	pundit
m_en_us1281906	purgative
m_en_us1281924	purloin
m_en_us1281998	putative
m_en_us1282257	quagmire
m_en_us1282262	quail
m_en_us1282286	quandary
m_en_us1282330	quarry
m_en_us1282381	quaver
m_en_us1282382	quay
m_en_us1282419	quell
m_en_us1282427	querulous
m_en_us1282428	query
m_en_us1282444	queue
m_en_us1282518	quintessence
m_en_us1282549	quixotic
m_en_us1282554	quizzical
m_en_us1282658	raconteur
m_en_us1282762	raffish
m_en_us1282887	rake
m_en_us1282919	rambunctious
m_en_us1282952	rancor
m_en_us1282993	rankle
m_en_us1283005	rapacious
m_en_us1283035	rapt
m_en_us1283390	recalcitrant
m_en_us1283397	recapitulate
m_en_us1283457	reclusive
m_en_us1283483	recondite
m_en_us1283488	reconnoiter
m_en_us1283541	rectify
m_en_us1283543	rectitude
m_en_us1283676	redolent
m_en_us1283681	redoubtable
m_en_us1283693	redress
m_en_us1283861	refractory
m_en_us1283898	regale
m_en_us1284047	rejoinder
m_en_us1284134	remand
m_en_us1284179	remonstrate
m_en_us1284221	renegade
m_en_us1284223	renege
m_en_us1284279	repartee
m_en_us1284295	repertoire
m_en_us1284315	replete
m_en_us1284351	reprehensible
m_en_us1284371	reprobate
m_en_us1284377	reprove
m_en_us1284704	retrograde
m_en_us1284705	retrogress
m_en_us1284715	retrospective
m_en_us1284885	rhetoric
m_en_us1284981	ribald
m_en_us1285098	rife
m_en_us1285288	riposte
m_en_us1285306	risible
m_en_us1286148	rubicund
m_en_us1286196	rue
m_en_us1286255	ruminate
m_en_us1286552	sacrosanct
m_en_us1286628	sagacity
m_en_us1286725	salacious
m_en_us1286769	salient
m_en_us1286865	salubrious
m_en_us1286869	salutary
m_en_us1286888	salvo
m_en_us1286966	sanctify
m_en_us1287079	sanguine
m_en_us1287176	sapient
m_en_us1287281	sartorial
m_en_us1287376	saturnine
m_en_us1287442	savor
m_en_us1287451	saw
m_en_us1287516	scabrous
m_en_us1287704	schism
m_en_us1287853	scion
m_en_us1287919	score
m_en_us1287974	scourge
m_en_us1288140	scurrilous
m_en_us1288155	scuttle
m_en_us1288478	secular
m_en_us1288968	seminal
m_en_us1289111	sentient
m_en_us1289162	septic
m_en_us1289181	sequel
m_en_us1289191	sequester
m_en_us1289224	serendipity
m_en_us1289284	serpentine
m_en_us1289927	shibboleth
m_en_us1290437	sibilant
m_en_us1290790	simile
m_en_us1290838	simulate
m_en_us1291109	skeptic
m_en_us1291198	skittish
m_en_us1291270	slake
m_en_us1291381	slew
m_en_us1291973	sobriquet
m_en_us1292066	sodden
m_en_us1292260	soliloquy
m_en_us1292261	solipsism
m_en_us1292405	sop
m_en_us1292410	sophism
m_en_us1292416	sophomore
m_en_us1292419	soporific
m_en_us1292839	spate
m_en_us1293271	spleen
m_en_us1293377	sporadic
m_en_us1293536	spurious
m_en_us1293558	squalid
m_en_us1294220	stentorian
m_en_us1294948	strident
m_en_us1295116	stultify
m_en_us1295288	sublimate
m_en_us1295344	sub rosa
m_en_us1295457	succor
m_en_us1295463	succubus
m_en_us1295464	succulent
m_en_us1295465	succumb
m_en_us1295623	sully
m_en_us1295806	supercilious
m_en_us1295923	supine
m_en_us1295937	supplicate
m_en_us1296015	surfeit
m_en_us1296037	surmise
m_en_us1296055	surreptitious
m_en_us1296419	sybarite
m_en_us1296460	symbiosis
m_en_us1296577	syntax
m_en_us1296582	synthesis
m_en_us1296712	tacit
m_en_us1296713	taciturn
m_en_us1296735	tactile
m_en_us1296997	tangential
m_en_us1296999	tangible
m_en_us1297253	tautology
m_en_us1297261	tawdry
m_en_us1297460	tedious
m_en_us1297634	temerity
m_en_us1297669	temporal
m_en_us1297704	tendentious
m_en_us1297725	tenet
m_en_us1297926	terse
m_en_us1299091	titular
m_en_us1299132	toady
m_en_us1299533	tortuous
m_en_us1299894	transcend
m_en_us1300092	travesty
m_en_us1300178	tremulous
m_en_us1300181	trenchant
m_en_us1300651	truculent
m_en_us1300673	truism
m_en_us1300699	truncate
m_en_us1301005	turgid
m_en_us1301364	tyro
m_en_us1301399	ubiquitous
m_en_us1301531	umbrage
m_en_us1301772	unconscionable
m_en_us1301811	unctuous
m_en_us1431400	unfathomable
m_en_us1302112	unflagging
m_en_us1302434	unmitigated
m_en_us1302549	unpropitious
m_en_us1302683	unseemly
m_en_us1302800	unsullied
m_en_us1302844	untenable
m_en_us1302881	untrammeled
m_en_us1303321	uxorious
m_en_us1303346	vacillate
m_en_us1303349	vacuous
m_en_us1303369	vagary
m_en_us1303535	vapid
m_en_us1303574	variegated
m_en_us1303760	venal
m_en_us1303773	veneer
m_en_us1303777	venerate
m_en_us1303794	venial
m_en_us1303846	veracious
m_en_us1303891	verisimilitude
m_en_us1303981	vertigo
m_en_us1304133	vicissitude
m_en_us1304244	vignette
m_en_us1304353	virago
m_en_us1304409	virtuoso
m_en_us1304412	virulent
m_en_us1304416	visage
m_en_us1304424	visceral
m_en_us1441060	vitriolic
m_en_us1304529	vituperative
m_en_us1304588	vociferous
m_en_us1304662	voluble
m_en_us1304699	voracious
m_en_us1304716	votive
m_en_us1304822	waft
m_en_us1304824	wag
m_en_us1305044	wanton
m_en_us1305203	waspish
m_en_us1305727	welter
m_en_us1306650	winnow
m_en_us1306653	winsome
m_en_us1306809	wizened
m_en_us1306897	wont
m_en_us1307309	wry
m_en_us1307394	xenophobia
m_en_us1307654	yen
m_en_us1307932	zealot
m_en_us1307964	zenith

Very cool stuff! I'm happy to have some useful words showing up on my screen now 👍 . Well, eventually I want to extend this to learning about stenotype chords, but for now, after reading your linked blog post I feel it'd be good to spend some time learning Norman Schur's 1000 most important words, so that I can improve my lexicon.

If you're more comfortable with the terminal, and save the word-list.txt file to your Desktop:
cd /System/Library/Graphics/Quartz\ Composer\ Plug-Ins/WOTD.plugin/Contents/Resources/ sudo mv NOAD_wotd_list.txt NOAD_wotd_list.txt.bak sudo cp ~/Desktop/word-list.txt NOAD_wotd_list.txt

Could some one make a list off common, yet not overly common, developer terms and acronyms?
It would be a great way to learn tech lingo without thinking about it.
Examples:
IDE
API
:
Fork
Rebase
:
Coupeling
Modualar
:
REST
Asynchronous
:
Etc...

Please PM me if this already exists or if some one actually make it!

Awesome this works thank you to jsomers and drjasonharrison for the details. New word list is 50x better.

Hey I can't find this world list to edit on Mac OS High Sierra - do you know if this method is outdated? Thanks for the stuff

Now it's here /System/Library/Screen\ Savers/Word\ of\ the\ Day.saver/Contents/Resources/WordLists/ and in .plist format.

I poked around in the system calls in the screensaver binary and found references to a "Lexicon Framework" and to a "Linguistic Data Framework", including calls to methods that create language models, iterate over all words in a linguistic data set, and retrieve probabilities for words. I don't know what data source is used for it (maybe all of the text in the dictionary definitions?), but my suspicion is that the screensaver builds a language model from some corpus and then chooses several thousand middling-probability words to go in the candidate list of words of the day. It would be interesting to gain access to these API's somehow.

Can we convert the word list above to a .plist format and replace the file in the directory listed by avdyushin? Currently running mac os mojave 10.14.6

Hi Jsomers. Thanks for this wonderful post. I had a similar idea recently, but not for displaying set words, but rather a new list completely. I'm a system biologist, so my idea was to display a gene list of a given organism (as a nerd or outreach feat.).

Looking into your solution, I realise it would only work with the built-in dictionary. In my case, I would have to change both the word list (with gene names) and also the dictionary (with the explanations of the genes, e.g. what they do).

Any ideas on how to create a new dictionary? I looked under 'dictionary' content, but couldn't quite find them there. Also, while I was able to change contents of a word list ".plist" file, creating a new one under "Word of the day" package seems not allowed (even with 'sudo')....any comments/pointers regarding any of this?

Thanks, this is interesting. Now to adapt to my use case: reviewing Japanese vocabulary. The Japanese dictionary provided has a bunch of super-weird and useless words (many used only in writing, for example) when what I really want is review words from the JLPT (Japanese Language Proficiency Test) which from the Japanese person's point of view are really boring and common words. It would also be nice to have both English and Japanese definitions of the meanings. Anyway... to do that I need not only a custom word list but a custom dictionary. But I guess I will start by trying to use a custom word list with the standard dictionary (which only had definitions in Japanese). I'm sure doing even just that I will run in to exciting problems with using UTF encodings, etc...

Anyway, my use case seems similar to some of the above who want custom dictionaries. I may just give up on this and see if I can find - even if I have to pay for it - a customizable screensaver. Anyone know of one?