Have you ever been stumped by a word you just don’t recognize? Whether it’s a term you’ve heard on television or a word you’ve read in a book or magazine, there is a resource that may be able to help. Dictionary.com is a free website that will give you definitions for thousands of words. In many cases, you can also hear it pronounced —which is especially useful for those terms you’ve seen in print but aren’t sure how to say. Just click on the speaker icon to hear the audio version. Here’s an example of a popular word in the news right now: haboob.
If you aren’t sure how to spell a word, type in your best guess and dictionary.com will provide a “did you mean?” list to help you locate the right spelling. Medical and legal dictionaries like Stedman’s Medical dictionary and Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary of Law also provide definitions for this site so you can search for more specialized terms. From the top of any page on the site, you can also connect to thesaurus.com to find synonyms for a word or phrase. If you feel you’ve used the word “argue” too many times in a persuasion paper, thesaurus.com will suggest alternatives like assert, justify, show and suggest to try instead.
