Dictionary.com
Author: Danny Wirken

Dictionary.com is a free website that offers a wide range of
features. Obviously, the main service is to give definitions to
words you look up. When you key in a word, you get a lot of
useful information. Different meanings and usages will be
presented, together with the pronunciation guide. One drawback
of this guide is that you have to be familiar with the
pronunciation symbols. You can also find out the origins of the
word on the same page. More than that, you can find links to
other specialized dictionaries which may have the same word.

What I really like about this online dictionary is that you can
search for an idiomatic expression or slang and chances are, you
will find it there. It also shows the meanings of different
collocations for a particular verb. This way, if you are not
really sure what you want, you are able to choose from a wide
range of words.

From the main page, you can access an online bookstore, a
thesaurus, an encyclopedia, feature articles, puzzles, and a
translator. You can even make use of tools such as the
http://Dictionary.com toolbar. If you need to look up a foreign
word, there are links to foreign dictionaries as well. Do you
want to improve your vocabulary? You can click on the Word of
the Day link and even subscribe to the email for this feature.
Are you a sucker for historical trivia? You can increase your
knowledge by subscribing to a "What Happened on this Day?"
email. For writers, there are links to writing styles and
grammar usage guides. Even if you are not a writer, you will
benefit from the simple, straight-forward http://Dictionary.com
Style Guide.

If you want to hear how a word is pronounced, you have to
subscribe to the premium service. Another advantage of this
service is ad-free access. No more irritating pop-ups every
time you enter a word. You will also have access to color
illustrations not available from the free site. The fee is not
too high, only about $19.95 per year. Subscriptions are also
available on a monthly basis but the rates are a little bit
higher.

I haven't tried the premium service but I think that the free
service offers enough in terms of features and information. If
you use the dictionary very often and you have no idea what the
pronunciation symbols mean, then you can opt to shell out a few
dollars for premium service.


About The Author: For more information please visit
http://www.444.net.