Main Area and Open Discussion > General Software Discussion
On-Line Dictionaries
Perry Mowbray:
I've actually just started using http://www.macmillandictionary.com/ which seems very nice :D
cyberdiva:
The dictionaries I use most often are those that translate from various languages into English and vice versa. And far and away, the best online (or offline) set of dictionaries I know for this are those offered for free at WordReference.com. The site offers dictionaries in a number of different languages, but I tend to use those for Spanish most often. What I love about the WordReference dictionaries is that at the end of each entry, they include links to discussions of that word or phrase in the WordReference.com forums. You thus get a much more nuanced idea of what the word means, how it's used, where it's used or not used, etc. etc. It's an amazing resource! :Thmbsup:
Curt:
The poll seems to be missing an "OFF-Line dict's only"... I know the world is full of fantastic dictionaries etcetera, but it is so easy (and common) for me to merely Ctrl+RightClick and see the result at once in Babylon, that I almost never will search another place. Due to money, the best of the dictionaries are already a part of my Babylon: Merriam-Webster Thesaurus & Dictionary, Britannnica Concise Encyclopedia, and of course the free Wikipedia, hEnglish Advanced, etcetera etcetera.
Wikipedia is my favourite on-line thingy, but because I am using Firefox I have some more on-line machines close at hand:
cyberdiva:
I know the world is full of fantastic dictionaries etcetera, but it is so easy (and common) for me to merely Ctrl+RightClick and see the result at once in Babylon, that I almost never will search another place.
-Curt (May 20, 2010, 12:30 PM)
--- End quote ---
Curt, I almost started my message (right above yours) by saying that the first place I generally turn for translating to/from English is Babylon. I didn't say that because 1) I interpreted the original message as asking about online resources, and 2) when I want to get an even better sense of which word to use and why, I'll turn to WordReference.com. It covers many words and expressions that Babylon omits, and it often offers more nuanced information about usage. But I agree that Babylon is terrific.
Curt:
Yes, I agree with you, diva; the thread is about on-line solutions and not about off-liners like Babylon. Otherwise I WOULD HAVE displayed this picture from an old thread from year 2007:
On-Line Dictionaries
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