by Ben Hughes

Created on: March 25, 2008

I always used to be against online dictionaries but now I hardly ever pick up my print dictionary anymore because of some very simple reasons:

CONVENIENCE

An online dictionary is much more convenient to use than a print dictionary. There's no flicking through pages and looking a word; everything's right there at the click of button. It's much quicker and easier and no piles of books to look through to find a dictionary on my desk.

CHOICE

An online dictionary gives much more choice of definitions. In some ways this can be a disadvantage because I don't always know whether the definition I've got is accurate or not; but in other ways it gives a far wider-ranging knowledge base than a paper dictionary can give.

The internet can also be updated far quicker than a printed dictionary which means that it's more likely to be accurate, up to date and mistakes can be rectified and made available immediately.

ACCESS

Now I've got wireless internet access, an online dictionary can be accessed from almost anywhere, so if I want to write when I'm away from my bookshelf then it's easier to do it online than carry my dictionary around with me.

There are also different types of dictionary to improve ease of access. Student dictionaries and rhyming slang add to those which are dedicated to specific professions, such as the legal dictionary, medical dictionary, financial dictionary or computer dictionary. There's always one for your need if you can't find it in a regular online wordsearch.

ONLINE DICTIONARIES OFFER SO MUCH MORE

As well as being free to use, which is a huge benefit when compared to the cost of a print dictionary, an online version offers many more benefits.

These include: blogs, reverse dictionaries, articles and podcasts, a word for the day, games and puzzles, multilingual dictionaries and translators, plus links to a thesaurus, references and encyclopaedias. Which printed dictionary would include all this with such ease?

They are more than just a glossary and include audio pronunciations as well as the written phonetic of printed dictionaries.

While printed dictionaries will never lose their appeal to book lovers, online dictionaries aren't just dictionaries any more but a dream-like necessity for the etymologist.

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