diff --git a/ui/src/game/CheckScreen.svelte b/ui/src/game/CheckScreen.svelte
index c07aff5..e1b2211 100644
--- a/ui/src/game/CheckScreen.svelte
+++ b/ui/src/game/CheckScreen.svelte
@@ -3,7 +3,6 @@
   import { gateway } from '../lib/gateway';
   import { gameSource, isLocalGameId } from '../lib/gamesource';
   import { connection } from '../lib/connection.svelte';
-  import { localWordCheck } from '../lib/dict/check';
   import { handleError, showToast } from '../lib/app.svelte';
   import { t } from '../lib/i18n/index.svelte';
   import { alphabetLetters } from '../lib/alphabet';
@@ -57,6 +56,9 @@
       // pinned dictionary read on-device: exact when that dawg is cached/bundled, otherwise the check
       // is unavailable. A local game already resolves checkWord on-device, so it keeps that path.
       if (!isLocalGameId(id) && !connection.online) {
+        // Dynamically imported so the dawg reader/loader stays out of the app entry bundle (the dict
+        // subsystem is lazy everywhere else too); it loads only when an offline check actually runs.
+        const { localWordCheck } = await import('../lib/dict/check');
         const legal = await localWordCheck(variant, dictVersion, w);
         if (legal === null) {
           result = null;