Dictionaries are great if you need to look up the meaning of a word you’ve read in a book, newspaper, or online. But what if it’s a word you’ve heard but don’t know how to spell? You could try to sound it out, but the English language isn’t always helpful there. Just thing of all the words you would think start with an F or an S that actually start with a PH or a P.
Fortunately the latest version of the Dictionary.com app for iOS doesn’t require you to spell a word to look it up. You can hit the new Voice tab, tap the screen, and speak a word. The Dictionary.com up will attempt to identify the word and give you a definition. If there are several possible word choices, you’ll see a list and you can select the one you like.
I found that the app worked pretty well with a number of long words such as defenestration and even antidisestablishmentarianism.
Of course, you can also look up a word by typing it in the search box, view the word of the day, star your favorite words, or use the thesaurus portion of the app to find similar words.
The Dictionary.com app for iOS is available as a free, ad-supported download from the App Store. There’s also an ad-free version available for $2.99.
Update: It turns out you can only use the voice search feature 15 times for free, whether you’re using the free or paid app. After that, you have to pay $0.99 for every 300 voice search credits). Thanks Download Squad!
