by Greg Schwartz

Created on: April 06, 2010

Years ago, when you needed to look up a definition or how to spell a word, you had to go to the nearest bookshelf and pull out the well-worn copy of Webster's Dictionary found there.  But now that so many people and places have Internet access, you can look words up online without having to leave your chair.

While people may be hesitant to discard their old "real" dictionaries, there are many benefits to using an online dictionary.  The only downside is that unless you have a smartphone or a very small laptop, an online dictionary isn't quite as portable as a paper dictionary.  But the plusses easily outweigh that one negative.

The most obvious benefit to using an online dictionary is that you can access it virtually anywhere.  If you're in an airport waiting for a flight and you suddenly feel a burning urge to know what "sophomoric" means, you can hop online (assuming you have a laptop with Internet access) and go to Dictionary.com - just like you could at home, or at a coffee shop, or at work.  No matter where you are, as long as you can get online, you can get to an online dictionary.

Another benefit is adaptability.  Online dictionaries, by their very nature, are updated much more often than their printed counterparts.  A new edition of a paper dictionary might come out every year, but an online dictionary can be updated weekly or even daily if necessary - whenever the site's administrators determine there is a new word that needs to be added.

There are many, many digital dictionaries to be found online.  If one of them doesn't have the word you're looking for, just try another.  A good site to start with is OneLook.com, which searches over 20 different dictionaries for the definition you want.

You can also find specialized dictionaries online, like ScienceDictionary.org or MedTerms.com, in case the word you're looking for is too technical or industry-specific for a general dictionary.  Without the Internet, you'd need a whole bookcase full of dictionaries to match the searchable power of the various online dictionaries.

Online dictionaries are typically free.  They are easy to use and easy to find, and as long as you can get on the Internet, you'll enjoy the many benefits of using an online dictionary.

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