Dictionary

Although the world wide web is certainly the solution you need for translating unknown words into other languages or for finding out their meaning, thanks to an endless source of online translation and dictionary tools, things are not so easy when going in offline mode.

This is because online services can access a broader range of databases which get continuously updated while offline applications are limited and are a more difficult to keep up to date with newer words and definitions.

Nevertheless, we can safely say that it's a good idea to have an offline dictionary around for moments when your Internet connection is not working but you want to help out your child with homework, to name an example.

Dictionary is a Windows-based application with a fairly generous offline database of words in English, German, Dutch, French, Italian, Portuguese and Spanish. It's really simple to use and performs translations instantly.

To be clear, the application is capable of translating words from English into other languages, not the other way around. It can also show word definitions in English (in English to English mode).

The setup operation is customizable. By default, all dictionaries are included in the installation but you can exclude anything when it comes to English to English, German, Dutch, French, Italian, Portuguese or Spanish. You shouldn't worry about occupied disk space though, since it's not that significant (a little over 50Mb after installing everything).

As far as the interface is concerned, Dictionary keeps things simple and straightforward, showing buttons on top of quickly toggling the language mode. While the source is always English, the output can be selected from English, German, Dutch, French, Italian, Portuguese and Spanish.

Because the database of words and definition is offline, the translation is made instantly by the program. Another aspect worth noting is that partial matches are accepted, which comes in handy when you can't remember an exact word. Other than that, the utility has no special features.

Unsurprisingly, Dictionary used minimal system resources during our tests. We haven't experienced any compatibility issues with Windows 10. It may not have abundant features but it's a great tool for making English translations in an offline environment.