diff --git a/xwords4/android/XWords4/jni/anddict.c b/xwords4/android/XWords4/jni/anddict.c
index 4f8500919..0242f9b73 100644
--- a/xwords4/android/XWords4/jni/anddict.c
+++ b/xwords4/android/XWords4/jni/anddict.c
@@ -422,24 +422,32 @@ and_dictionary_make_empty( MPFORMAL JNIEnv* env, JNIUtilCtxt* jniutil )
 }
 
 void
-makeDicts( MPFORMAL JNIEnv *env, JNIUtilCtxt* jniutil, PlayerDicts* dicts,
+makeDicts( MPFORMAL JNIEnv *env, JNIUtilCtxt* jniutil, 
+           DictionaryCtxt** dictp, PlayerDicts* dicts,
            jobjectArray jdicts, jobjectArray jnames, jstring jlang )
 {
     int ii;
     jsize len = (*env)->GetArrayLength( env, jdicts );
     XP_ASSERT( len == (*env)->GetArrayLength( env, jnames ) );
 
-    for ( ii = 0; ii < VSIZE(dicts->dicts); ++ii ) {
+    for ( ii = 0; ii <= VSIZE(dicts->dicts); ++ii ) {
         DictionaryCtxt* dict = NULL;
         if ( ii < len ) {
             jobject jdict = (*env)->GetObjectArrayElement( env, jdicts, ii );
-            jstring jname = (*env)->GetObjectArrayElement( env, jnames, ii );
-            dict = makeDict( MPPARM(mpool) env, jniutil, jdict, jname, jlang );
-            XP_ASSERT( !!dict );
-            (*env)->DeleteLocalRef( env, jdict );
-            (*env)->DeleteLocalRef( env, jname );
-        } 
-        dicts->dicts[ii] = dict;
+            if ( NULL != jdict ) { 
+                jstring jname = (*env)->GetObjectArrayElement( env, jnames, ii );
+                dict = makeDict( MPPARM(mpool) env, jniutil, jdict, jname, jlang );
+                XP_ASSERT( !!dict );
+                (*env)->DeleteLocalRef( env, jdict );
+                (*env)->DeleteLocalRef( env, jname );
+            }
+        }
+        if ( 0 == ii ) {
+            *dictp = dict;
+        } else {
+            XP_ASSERT( ii-1 < VSIZE( dicts->dicts ) );
+            dicts->dicts[ii-1] = dict;
+        }
     }
 }
 
diff --git a/xwords4/android/XWords4/jni/anddict.h b/xwords4/android/XWords4/jni/anddict.h
index 4a0f05f4a..02dc36959 100644
--- a/xwords4/android/XWords4/jni/anddict.h
+++ b/xwords4/android/XWords4/jni/anddict.h
@@ -32,8 +32,10 @@ dict_splitFaces( DictionaryCtxt* dict, const XP_U8* bytes,
 DictionaryCtxt* makeDict( MPFORMAL JNIEnv *env, JNIUtilCtxt* jniutil, 
                           jbyteArray bytes, jstring jname, jstring jlang );
 
-void makeDicts( MPFORMAL JNIEnv *env, JNIUtilCtxt* jniutil, PlayerDicts* dicts,
-                jobjectArray jdicts, jobjectArray jnames, jstring jlang );
+void makeDicts( MPFORMAL JNIEnv *env, JNIUtilCtxt* jniutil, 
+                DictionaryCtxt** dict,
+                PlayerDicts* dicts, jobjectArray jdicts, jobjectArray jnames, 
+                jstring jlang );
 
 void destroyDicts( PlayerDicts* dicts );
 
diff --git a/xwords4/android/XWords4/jni/xwjni.c b/xwords4/android/XWords4/jni/xwjni.c
index 649ba2837..1a46e1690 100644
--- a/xwords4/android/XWords4/jni/xwjni.c
+++ b/xwords4/android/XWords4/jni/xwjni.c
@@ -59,6 +59,9 @@ makeGI( MPFORMAL JNIEnv* env, jobject j_gi )
         jenumFieldToInt( env, j_gi, "serverRole",
                          "org/eehouse/android/xw4/jni/CurGameInfo$DeviceRole");
 
+    getString( env, j_gi, "dictName", buf, VSIZE(buf) );
+    gi->dictName = copyString( mpool, buf );
+
     XP_ASSERT( gi->nPlayers <= MAX_NUM_PLAYERS );
 
     jobject jplayers;
@@ -106,6 +109,7 @@ setJGI( JNIEnv* env, jobject jgi, const CurGameInfo* gi )
     setBool( env, jgi, "hintsNotAllowed", gi->hintsNotAllowed );
     setBool( env, jgi, "timerEnabled", gi->timerEnabled );
     setBool( env, jgi, "allowPickTiles", gi->allowPickTiles );
+    setString( env, jgi, "dictName", gi->dictName );
 
     intToJenumField( env, jgi, gi->phoniesAction, "phoniesAction",
                      "org/eehouse/android/xw4/jni/CurGameInfo$XWPhoniesChoice" );
@@ -394,15 +398,17 @@ Java_org_eehouse_android_xw4_jni_XwJNI_game_1makeNewGame
     game_makeNewGame( MPPARM(mpool) &state->game, gi, globals->util, dctx, &cp,
                       globals->xportProcs );
 
+    DictionaryCtxt* dict;
     PlayerDicts dicts;
-    makeDicts( MPPARM(mpool) env, globals->jniutil, &dicts, j_dicts, j_names,
-               j_lang );
+    makeDicts( MPPARM(mpool) env, globals->jniutil, &dict, &dicts, j_dicts, 
+               j_names, j_lang );
 #ifdef STUBBED_DICT
     if ( !dict ) {
         XP_LOGF( "falling back to stubbed dict" );
         dict = make_stubbed_dict( MPPARM_NOCOMMA(mpool) );
     }
 #endif
+    model_setDictionary( state->game.model, dict );
     model_setPlayerDicts( state->game.model, &dicts );
     XWJNI_END();
 } /* makeNewGame */
@@ -440,6 +446,7 @@ Java_org_eehouse_android_xw4_jni_XwJNI_game_1makeFromStream
   jobject jutil, jobject jniu, jobject jdraw, jobject jcp, jobject jprocs )
 {
     jboolean result;
+    DictionaryCtxt* dict;
     PlayerDicts dicts;
     XWJNI_START_GLOBALS();
 
@@ -447,8 +454,8 @@ Java_org_eehouse_android_xw4_jni_XwJNI_game_1makeFromStream
     globals->util = makeUtil( MPPARM(mpool) &state->env, 
                               jutil, globals->gi, globals );
     globals->jniutil = makeJNIUtil( MPPARM(mpool) &state->env, jniu );
-    makeDicts( MPPARM(mpool) env, globals->jniutil, &dicts, jdicts, jdictNames,
-               jlang );
+    makeDicts( MPPARM(mpool) env, globals->jniutil, &dict, &dicts, jdicts, 
+               jdictNames, jlang );
     globals->dctx = makeDraw( MPPARM(mpool) &state->env, jdraw );
     globals->xportProcs = makeXportProcs( MPPARM(mpool) &state->env, jprocs );
 
@@ -458,7 +465,7 @@ Java_org_eehouse_android_xw4_jni_XwJNI_game_1makeFromStream
     CommonPrefs cp;
     loadCommonPrefs( env, &cp, jcp );
     result = game_makeFromStream( MPPARM(mpool) stream, &state->game, 
-                                  globals->gi, NULL, &dicts,
+                                  globals->gi, dict, &dicts,
                                   globals->util, globals->dctx, &cp,
                                   globals->xportProcs );
     stream_destroy( stream );
@@ -472,6 +479,7 @@ Java_org_eehouse_android_xw4_jni_XwJNI_game_1makeFromStream
         destroyDraw( &globals->dctx );
         destroyXportProcs( &globals->xportProcs );
         destroyDicts( &dicts );
+        dict_destroy( dict );
         destroyUtil( &globals->util );
         destroyJNIUtil( &globals->jniutil );
         destroyGI( MPPARM(mpool) &globals->gi );