Hors d’oervres, thaumaturgy . . . can I spell those without looking them up? No. But on my iPhone or iPad, I can choose from several handy apps to help me. [Some of these are also available for Androids.]
One app is from Dictionary.com Dictionary and Thesaurus. It is free—so long as you are willing to put up with the on-screen ads. For $2.99, you can buy the ad-free version. Here’s how it works:
This app’s home page has a search bar where you enter words you want to look up. As soon as you begin to type in this bar, the app begins to suggest words that may match, so you don’t always have to type in the whole word. You can even tap on the microphone icon and speak your word.
A search list will appear. Tap once and the app takes you to the word’s main dictionary entry, which looks like what you’d see on Dictionary.com—pronunciation, definitions, word origin, etc. You can add the word to “Favorites,” tap to get to the thesaurus or a translation into several languages.
The free iOS version from Dictionary.com can be downloaded here. The Android app can be downloaded here.
To read a NY Times article posted on April 26, 2013 about other dictionary and thesaurus apps, click here.
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