Mashable - The Social Media Guide - Latest Comments in POLL: Do You Still Use a Dictionary?

Re: POLL: Do You Still Use a Dictionary?

Michelle — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 15:19:50 -0000

Silly, of course I use a dictionary. Hardcover, latest edition. Because generally, I want to know a little more than "does that letter really go there".

Re: POLL: Do You Still Use a Dictionary?

james_r — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 10:52:19 -0000

Another for www.macmillandictionary.com

If you want to know you're spelling the coorect word correctly, only an online dictionary will do. And then, I want one that has all the bells and whistles like both UK and US English including the propers pronunciations, and FREE!

Re: POLL: Do You Still Use a Dictionary?

Fibo — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 11:53:06 -0000

The dictionary, whether paper or online, is important when you want more than just spelling. Information such as the history of the word and its origin are often highly useful when you are writing a text and want to be sure to understand which of the definitions are right

Re: POLL: Do You Still Use a Dictionary?

Al — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 03:58:30 -0000

Agree completely Mateus - there is a definite and continual demand for ESL/EFL dictionaries, and these others simply don't have the credibility a good online dictionary offers. When teaching I tend to recommend the new Macmillan online dictionary - www.macmillandictionary.com - combines a thesaurus and dictionary in one.

Re: POLL: Do You Still Use a Dictionary?

gwalter — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 12:23:35 -0000

BTW, dictionaries aren't just for spelling. Definitions are key. I am one of those word geeks that used to go from one word's definition to another and spend hours reading the dictionary. Obviously, hypelinking URLs make that all that much more easy.

Re: POLL: Do You Still Use a Dictionary?

Belinda Perry — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 09:13:54 -0000

I use both. I like the tactile nature of a book.

Re: POLL: Do You Still Use a Dictionary?

rtolmach — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 17:02:00 -0000

A great new site for words: http://wordnik.com. Try it.

Re: POLL: Do You Still Use a Dictionary?

matt — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 16:38:21 -0000

i use the dictionary app on my iTouch, or the built-in osx dictionary

Re: POLL: Do You Still Use a Dictionary?

Jesse Friedman — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 10:53:22 -0000

It's funny to see this poll today. I was going through some of my books this weekend and came across a rather large dictionary. I considered donating it or dumping it but decided to keep it because my son who's 2 years old will probably never use one unless I have it. I think it's important for him to at least look up a few words in his time by flipping a few pages.

Re: POLL: Do You Still Use a Dictionary?

Alexis Brille — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 10:20:18 -0000

I use Mac OSX's Dictionary app.

Never used a search engine for a dictionary, :S.

Re: POLL: Do You Still Use a Dictionary?

Allan Schroeder — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 10:15:56 -0000

I think the popularity of google's "Dictionary" can be attributed to the fact that it will guess the word you are trying to spell. This makes it quite easy to ascertain the correct spelling if you are unsure as to the spelling of the word. On the other hand, if you are using an online/app version of a dictionary, it can be a hassle to look up words, because if you don't enter it correctly, they often wont give you the choice of "did you mean" or an alternate choice. I have found this on several occasions, and google is the clear winner in these cases.

Re: POLL: Do You Still Use a Dictionary?

WVMikeP — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 08:57:56 -0000

We have an overwhelming majority of kids coming up through the school system nowadays that don't even know that the dictionary (book-form) is even alphabetized.

Re: POLL: Do You Still Use a Dictionary?

Matt Hood — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 08:47:15 -0000

The Oxford English Dictionary (OED to the initiated) is the best English dictionary online or in print, though it isn't exactly portable in its printed form. It takes up a few shelves in the reference library. At least the online version can be brought up on a laptop or an iPhone.

Re: POLL: Do You Still Use a Dictionary?

John Smith — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 08:38:22 -0000

In this digital world, no doubt that Digital dictionaries plays major role. The printed dictionary exists but digital ones are used often as they are available handy.

Re: POLL: Do You Still Use a Dictionary?

Proofreader Dallas — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 05:54:01 -0000

An interesting survey. I believe that too many people rely on spellcheckers - a particular problem in the UK when using American-produced systems. For example, very few spellcheckers recognise that LIASE is incorrectly spelt for UK use. As a proofreader, my tip is: always use a printed English dictionary, and make sure it is a good one (e.g. Oxford or Collins).

Re: POLL: Do You Still Use a Dictionary?

Anand — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 05:16:41 -0000

I use both dictionary.com as well as define: function in google frequently..

Re: POLL: Do You Still Use a Dictionary?

Doloboy — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 04:27:29 -0000

I only use google >.>

Re: POLL: Do You Still Use a Dictionary?

Bader Alrayyes — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 04:04:18 -0000

using Google dictionary in general :)

Re: POLL: Do You Still Use a Dictionary?

footybanter.co.uk — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 03:46:08 -0000

I suppose there's an argument for the electronic word taking over the printed word entirely, it certainly does for me for reference material.

For fiction and pleasure reading, you can't beat the good feel and smell of a paperback though.

Re: POLL: Do You Still Use a Dictionary?

Yasmin Varley — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 02:52:33 -0000

lol i use either dictionary.com or urbandictionary.com (can't understand some of the random slang people come out with! and those words are definately not in the normal dictionaries!)

Re: POLL: Do You Still Use a Dictionary?

Anders — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 02:50:58 -0000

Firefox has a real-time spellchecker which I am using right now as I write this. ;-) Also, Google is useful for more difficult cases, and I use online dictionaries like Answers.com to check the meaning of certain words. And Google can also be used as a simple grammar checker by comparing the number of search results for different quoted phrases.

Re: POLL: Do You Still Use a Dictionary?

Σχολή Χορού — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 02:43:13 -0000

I use the digital version of printed dictionaries, but almost never a printed dictionary like old times.

Re: POLL: Do You Still Use a Dictionary?

Guest — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 02:31:55 -0000

I use Dictionary.app. I love it.

Re: POLL: Do You Still Use a Dictionary?

Carla — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 01:47:34 -0000

I use both an online and printed dictionary. It depends on what I am doing (on the road or at home).

Re: POLL: Do You Still Use a Dictionary?

Carla — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 01:46:51 -0000

I use both an online and printed dictionary. It depends on where and am (home or on the road) and what I'm doing.