Word Web Dictionary Review

excellent
key review info
application features
  • One-click look up from almost any program, including MS Word
  • (14 more, see all...)

Expressing myself academically has never been among my priorities as the use of plain language would guarantee most of the times that my interlocutors understand what I say and act accordingly. But it happens sometimes that I bump into some texts over the Internet that are so darn difficult to comprehend that the use of a dictionary becomes imperious.

Since electronic format invaded our lives the effort of simply looking up a word or an expression in the old dictionary in the library turns out to be too much of an effort when a simple copy-paste of the word is within our reach. There are plenty of good online dictionaries that are constantly being updated to the latest fashion of speakers and downloadable software also provides a good alternative for easy and fast looking a word up.

WordWeb is not an all inclusive tool for word finding but can be as unobtrusive as you want it to be, at the same time providing extraordinary maneuverability and a database of 150 000 root words and 120 000 synonyms. Not too rickety for a freeware that also makes available pronunciation feature, related words and three different online references.

Advanced installation settings of the software permit installing to system tray (recommended option) or as a portable application on a removable device. The latter option works great if you want to carry an entire dictionary in your pocket on an USB stick or on a portable device. Other than these, there is nothing you should worry about as everything goes smooth on both Vista and XP systems.

Sporting a straight to the point interface, at a first glance WordWeb does not look like much, but the moment you look up a word it will unfold almost all of its features. In the upper panel the looked up item benefits from phonetic transcription, a set of context it can be used in (where available), multiple meanings (where available) or lexical category it belongs to. In the lower panel there are the related word tabs which show the synonyms, antonyms, type of (less specific words), parts (shows words for part of an object) or similar items. The availability of all this information depends entirely on the chosen word.

Although freeware, the application makes available a set of three additional references to help you get a better grip on the meaning of the word in the query and these refer to web locations such as Wikipedia, the Wiktionary and MSN dictionary. All of them are opened in different tabs and refresh their content the moment they are accessed. They are limited in the freebie, but there is also a paid version of the software ($20 worth) that permit the user the adding of more custom web references.

To prove its ease of use, WordWeb makes available a special feature that allows the user to look up any word in any application with a simple shortcut command, without typing anything in the text-area box. The use of the default Ctrl+Right Click over one word will automatically add it to the query and the dictionary will pop out from system tray with all information about it. The efficiency of this contraption has been tested in numerous applications and it worked every time. If you want to bring forward the interface, all you need to do is to use Ctrl+Alt+Del combination and the software will respond to your command.

WordWeb's database is large enough to shelter vulgar and offensive words, so if you are looking for an informal euphemism, it'll definitely provide it within the database limitations. And if the returned results are not satisfactory, you can expand English language for wider areas, such as Australia, Britain, Canada, new Zealand, South Africa or Asia. Paid version is more flexible from this point of view as it lets you add entries to the dictionary, thus enriching it.

The font in the program is subject to user's modification and the options are the regular ones: type, size or style. Thus you can change it for a better view of the definitions.

In case you need to save some of the words, WordWeb permits the creation of bookmarks for easy access. Finding a particular one in the database is extremely easy as the search is dynamic and all you have to do is start typing the beginning and the application will continue the rest.

WordWeb makes for an extremely easy to handle dictionary with sufficiently large database to suit almost any user's needs. The quick access feature from any program is a resourceful options providing more comfort when it comes to looking words up the fast way. Online references are trustful and offer a clearer view on definitions and word meanings.

The Good

WordWeb is free to use and comes equipped with useful options for making the look up more comfortable. The database is quite large and covers plenty areas of English speakers, from America to the Antipodes and all across Europe, Africa and Asia.

Installation is smooth and once it completes, the software will sit quietly in system tray, the user having the possibility of summoning it via keyboard shortcuts. Looking up a word from any application is also achievable through user defined hotkeys.

The Bad

It would be great if the database would be larger and contain a much greater diversity of synonyms as well as antonyms and euphemisms.

The three online references available are great, but not all of them are 100% reliable.

Sometimes accessing a word in an application via the defined shortcut misspells the item in the query and the first result in WordWeb is not always the same in other online dictionaries.

The Truth

WordWeb makes for a great companion when it comes to looking up words quickly and effortlessly as it is always in system tray, ready to assist you. There are minor glitches to fix but the application is handy enough for a quick peek at a word's meaning.

Here are some snapshots of the application in action:

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user interface 5
features 4
ease of use 5
pricing / value 5


final rating 5
Editor's review
excellent
 
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