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What is a dictionary?

Swift version: 5.6

Paul Hudson    @twostraws   

A dictionary is a collection of values stored at named positions. Whereas you would access values in an array using myArray[5], with a dictionary you use named positions such as myDict["Paul"] or myDict["Scotland"]. You don't even need to use strings for the positions – you can use another object if you choose, such as dates.

These named positions are called "keys", so dictionaries represent what's known as a key-value pair: each key has exactly one value, and each can appear only once in a dictionary.

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This is part of the Swift Knowledge Base, a free, searchable collection of solutions for common iOS questions.

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