Dictionaries

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Here are the current top-selling dictionaries in book form, plus electronic dictionaries and dictionary software (especially good for unabridged dictionaries!), that can help you as a writer. These include general dictionaries and specialized dictionaries on medicine, law, business, telecom, the military, and other disciplines...not to mention specialized dictionaries for writers, such as rhyming dictionaries, reverse dictionaries, slang dictionaries, and dictionaries of obscure words. As you'd expect, there are dictionaries of American and British English (separate and combined), as well as Canadian English.

You may want to have a look at our thesaurus page as well.

Electronic Dictionaries, Handhelds, and Dictionary Software


1.		Sharp Electronics PW-E550 Electronic Dictionary from Sharp Price: $69.38 Customer Review: While the E550 is a good dictionary it's crossword puzzle functions leave a lot to be desired. Most crossword clues are two or three words which the E550 will allow (phrase search) but always the search comes up empty. In working with Sharp's customer service they admitted the E550 can only be used... more info	Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0 Click here for more information


2.		Franklin KID-1240 Children's Talking Dictionary and Spell Corrector from Franklin Electronics Price: $37.93 Customer Review: This is a piece if junk. I have never written a review in my life but its so bad that I was forced to write this. I bought this for my son in 2nd grade and he can never find what he is looking for. I am going to buy another one for him now. Don't waste your money on this junk.	Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0 Click here for more information


3.		Franklin Merriam Webster Spanish English Dictionary (DBE-1500) from Franklin Electronics Price: $37.99 Customer Review: I gave this four stars instead of five because it lacks two things to be perfect. If the screen was back lit and there was a way to save your favorite or most useful words. The screen is hard to read under certain lighting conditions and I would have been willing to have paid a few extra dollars for... more info	Customer Rating: 4.0 / 5.0 Click here for more information


4.		Franklin DBE-1490 Merriam-Webster Spanish-English Dictionary from Franklin Electronics Price: $28.19 Customer Review: I ordered this product because of all the positive reviews I read on Amazon.com. However, it's a bit short when you can't look up the word England, isn't it??!! So I have to say it's good but not wonderful.	Customer Rating: 4.0 / 5.0 Click here for more information


5.		Franklin SPELLING CORRECTOR from Franklin Electronics Price: $12.13 Customer Review: Excellent product. I only use it for spelling but has other functions as well. Only negative I could see is that the lid is so tight it's hard to open easily.	Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0 Click here for more information


6.		The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Price: $36.00 Customer Review: This dictionary is too politically correct. It short-changes the great American leaders - minimizing their contributions, while going into great detail about other historical figures.	Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0 Click here for more information


7.		Franklin Speaking Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary 11th Edition (SCD-2100) from Franklin Electronics Price: $89.00 Customer Review: Pros: Compact, light, attractive looking, feature rich electronic device. Games, exercises, and productivity tools such as currency and unit converter, calendar, sceduler, stop watch, etc. can be very useful. Depending on the purpose, you may be satisfied with the product. Cons: -... more info	Customer Rating: 3.5 / 5.0 Click here for more information


8.		Franklin Merriam Webster Advanced Dictionary and Thesaurus With Spell Correction (MWD-1500) from Franklin Electronics Price: $37.74 Customer Review: This little unit is difficult to use, IMO. There are so many features on it that I will never use - games that difficult to understand, entire reference books that I will never use, etc. Trying to input my phone number list into this gadget was incredibly difficult! Whew, I'm tellin' ya! I'd... more info	Customer Rating: 3.0 / 5.0 Click here for more information


9.		Nyrius LT12 12 Language Global Digital Talking Translator Foreign Pocket-Sized Electronic Speaking Dictionary from SVAT Electronics Price: $41.50 Customer Review: I bought this for my daughters graduation trip to Italy. She is very pleased with it. While it met this essetial requitement she was delighted with the fact that it also enabled her to order in Japanese at her favorite restaurant. She would have liked to be able to type in random phrases, but... more info	Customer Rating: 4.0 / 5.0 Click here for more information


10.		Franklin BES-2150 Speaking Merriam-Webster Spanish-English and Advanced Learner's English Dictionary (BES-2150) from Franklin Electronics Price: $93.00 Customer Review: I haven't used the translator a lot yet--just on a recent brief trip to Mexico. The main disappointment is the lack of ability to look up phrases, and the inability to translate whole phrases rather than single words. For example, I typed in "que pasa" and it didn't find it. Same with "mucho gusto"... more info	Customer Rating: 3.5 / 5.0 Click here for more information


11.		Franklin TG-450 12 Language Translator from Franklin Electronics Price: $25.49 Customer Review: I purchased the dictionary to use on my comprehensive exam but still had to use a bound dictionary reference because it did not have so many words. Also it sometimes would change letters in order to produce anything at all. It's definitely not for those who know very little French or any of the... more info	Customer Rating: 3.0 / 5.0 Click here for more information


12.		Franklin Speaking Merriam Webster Spanish English Dictionary (BES-2100) from Franklin Electronics Price: $61.96 Customer Review: A friend and I purchased this product model BES-2100 within minutes of each other. She received a different model - her unit holds up to 100- words in the vocabulary list, whereas my unit holds only 40 wordsl. Upon checking the back of the unit on both models, I noticed that hers had BES-2100N and... more info	Customer Rating: 4.0 / 5.0 Click here for more information


13.		Franklin MWD-460 Merriam-Webster Dictionary and Thesaurus from Franklin Electronics Price: $20.50 Customer Review: I've had a franklin speller for more than 25 years, they are great! Last one I had was very small. I wish this one was a little bigger. It seems the older I get, the smaller everything gets. I still love it.	Customer Rating: 3.0 / 5.0 Click here for more information


14.		Nyrius Global ENTOURAGE11 Talking Travel Translator for 11 International Languages from SVAT Electronics Price: Too low to display Customer Review: Being an experienced traveler, it is always helpful to have a device such as this if your personal translator is not available. The is a very easy to use device, lightweight and travels well. The purchasing experience was also quick and I received my item as described and exceeded my... more info	Customer Rating: 4.0 / 5.0 Click here for more information


15.		Franklin HW-1216 Children's Speller and Dictionary from Franklin Electronics Price: $15.19 Customer Review: I recently saw the musical Fela and was very interested in hearlng the original. It does not disappoint. This music and the musician are energizing and hypnotic, though it certainly rambles at times, in comparison to the play. I look forward to hearing the soundtrack of the play in the future.	Customer Rating: 4.0 / 5.0 Click here for more information


16.		Nyrius Global ENTOURAGE7 Talking Travel Translator for 7 International Languages from SVAT Electronics Price: Too low to display Customer Review: Handy little item for the price. Not a full featured model, but not expensive either. Offers the chance to hear the language, so it complements a good language book. A better speaker would be a definite improvement. Sounds much clearer with headphones. First one had battery fail after a week, but... more info	Customer Rating: 3.5 / 5.0 Click here for more information


17.		Franklin LM6000b Speaking Language Master from Franklin Electronics Price: $99.98 Customer Review: It is a quite good machine. However it does not speak English clearly or nicely to your ears. Anyway, I still like it.	Customer Rating: 4.0 / 5.0 Click here for more information


18.		Franklin Electronic Publishers BES-1890 Speaking Spanish-English Dictionary from Franklin Electronics Price: $64.99 Customer Review: I bought one of these a year ago and my mom wouldn't share it with my dad. (They are both Colombian nationals and they recently moved to Canada) So they needed something portable that could help them with quick translations in English. Needless to say, my dad liked it so much I had to buy another... more info	Customer Rating: 3.5 / 5.0 Click here for more information


19.		Franklin OEC-570 Compact Oxford English Dictionary with Thesaurus and Spell Correction from Franklin Electronics Price: $42.14 Customer Review: On the plus side the letters are large and legible. I like the ability to store up to 40 words and recall them later for practice. Very compact, fits in a shirt pocket. On the down side, you really have to press down on the keys even having to press the first letter of a word twice before it... more info	Customer Rating: 4.0 / 5.0 Click here for more information


20.		Franklin SCD-1890 Speaking Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, 11th Edition from Franklin Electronics Price: $72.00 Customer Review: This is my fourth Franklin dictionary and I`ve retired the first one. I gave my oldest daughter the second one , my youngest daughter the third one (SCD 1890) and I kept the fourth one (SCD 2100)which has more definitions ,antonyms and synonyms. I needed the one with the most info because I read for... more info	Customer Rating: 3.5 / 5.0 Click here for more information

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Dictionaries in Book Form


1.		Taber's Cyclopedic Medical Dictionary, 21st Edition (Thumb Index Version) from F A Davis Co Price: $29.07 Customer Review: This book has helped me tremendously with my Masters studies in Forensic Sciences. i don't think I would have made it through Pathology without it. It is full of information, but luckily is not as heavy or as big as an encyclopedia. The CD is also a very good addition to the mix. Well worth the... more info	Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0 Click here for more information


2.		Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, 11th Edition (Red Kivar Binding with Jacket) from Merriam-Webster Price: $15.48 Customer Review: This was given as a wedding gift along with the Webster's Thesaurus It is a reliable resource for two students setting up housekeeping.	Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0 Click here for more information


3.		The Merriam-Webster English Dictionary from Merriam-Webster Price: $3.48 Customer Review: PAID FOR THIS AND NEVER RECEIVED THE ITEM! EMAILED WITH CONCERN AND NEVER GOT RESPONSE!!!!	Customer Rating: 4.0 / 5.0 Click here for more information


4.		LEGO Star Wars: The Visual Dictionary from DK Publishing Price: $12.85 Customer Review: I got this book because I'm a Lego collector and I love star wars. This has helped me to see what all is out there, and to find out about some of the spacial mini figures in some of the not so popular sets. Not sure what other star wars sets you want to buy, then get this book, it will... more info	Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0 Click here for more information


5.		The Official Scrabble Players Dictionary from Merriam-Webster Price: $14.00 Customer Review: This book is a great thing to have when playing scrabble with more experienced players.	Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0 Click here for more information


6.		Merriam-Webster's Spanish-English Dictionary from Merriam-Webster Price: $3.25 Customer Review: My daughter is teaching herself Spanish and has found this dictionary to be very easy to use and extremely helpful to her studies.	Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0 Click here for more information


7.		Merriam-Webster Children's Dictionary from DK CHILDREN Price: $11.91 Customer Review: My two daughters (5 and 7) enjoy reading the dictionary and looking at the pictures while they sit at the table.	Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0 Click here for more information


8.		Handy Dictionary of Poetical Quotations from Hard Press Price: $22.95 Customer Review: This is an excellent book full of great material. It was published in 1901 and has mostly English authors, plus a few from the Continent and America. The earliest author I found was Chaucer, and Shakespeare is quoted most frequently. There's no table of contents, but the quotes are printed... more info	Customer Rating: 5.0 / 5.0 Click here for more information


9.		Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, 11th Edition thumb-notched with Win/Mac CD-ROM and Online Subscription from Merriam-Webster Price: $6.72 Customer Review: I needed something to keep close by while reading and this serves the purpose very well. It is easy to use for the exact word definition and shows precisely how one would pronounce the word by syllable. Cannot go wrong with this one!	Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0 Click here for more information


10.		The Million Word Crossword Dictionary from Collins Reference Price: $11.65 Customer Review: My husband is a crossword puzzle fanatic and has several crossword dictionaries. I bought this one for him for Christmas and he has told me on many occasions that this is an awesome crossword dictionary.	Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0 Click here for more information


11.		Black's Law Dictionary: Deluxe Ninth Edition from West Price: $92.00 Customer Review: It came on time in the mail in the condition it was promised to be. A few days later i thought i might have to return it, so i emailed the seller to ask if and how i could, and he replied in the next few hrs- they seemed nice, and told me i could.... I didn't end up having to return it, but it was... more info	Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0 Click here for more information


12.		New American Webster Handy College Dictionary, 4th Edition (Newly Revised) from Signet Price: $3.66 Customer Review: Twice as big as most It actually has the words you want to look up.	Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0 Click here for more information


13.		Oxford Picture Dictionary: English/Spanish from Oxford University Press, USA Price: $14.41 Customer Review: I bought two of the Oxford Picture Dictionaries. One was for my husband who is trying to learn Spanish and the other for my daughter-in-law who is Mexican and is trying to learn English. They both were excited to get them for Christmas this year. The pictures seem to make the words more... more info	Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0 Click here for more information


14.		Merriam-webster's Pocket Dictionary from Merriam-Webster Price: $2.45 Customer Review: I bought this dictionary for my mother who wanted a pocket dictionary. The size is perfect for a medium size purse.	Customer Rating: 4.0 / 5.0 Click here for more information


15.		LEGO Star Wars: The Visual Dictionary Library Edition from DK CHILDREN Price: $17.59 Customer Review: Bought the book for my 9yr old grandson who is into Lego Star Wars. The book has a great deal of information about the Lego sets and special notes on many of them that otherwise would not be known. Excellant visuals and what comprises a Lego set i.e. number of pieces and how many people come with... more info	Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0 Click here for more information


16.		Catholic Bible Dictionary from Doubleday Religion Price: $26.63 Customer Review: For anyone who reads the Bible, both Catholic and non-Catholic, this volume is extremely valuable. One is often confronted with a word or phrase that we think we understand; but do we really? For example: "The Garden of Eden." Prof Scott Hahn looks at this Garden from every aspect - from the... more info	Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0 Click here for more information


17.		Scholastic Children's Dictionary from Scholastic Reference Price: $9.54 Customer Review: I ordered this book as a reference for my daughter when she is completing her second grade writing assignments. The level of this book is advanced so she will grow with it, but not so advanced that she gets frustrated with it. When she is not using it to look up words, she likes to review the... more info	Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0 Click here for more information


18.		Oxford Picture Dictionary (Monolingual English) from Oxford University Press, USA Price: $13.33 Customer Review: I have been reading out of this on a regular basis (average 2 days a week, maybe more) to my 3 1/2 year old for, I think, a year. We're only about 2/3 of the way done with it. It's very meaty. He just never gets tired of it. He requests this book more than any other. He even has a nickname for... more info	Customer Rating: 5.0 / 5.0 Click here for more information


19.		Webster's New World Medical Dictionary, Fully Revised and Updated from Webster's New World Price: $8.38 Customer Review: This was a great product for the price and in perfect condition. Thanks a lot. Highly recommend.	Customer Rating: 3.5 / 5.0 Click here for more information


20.		Webster's New College Dictionary, Third Edition from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Price: $16.27 Customer Review: This dictionary upgraded my office dictionary which was an old collegiate edition. This dictionary has newer words, particularly related to the internet. However, this dictionary has fewer explanations of the first use or year of a word like the collegiate edition.	Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0 Click here for more information