If you’re wondering if I think you should download this free iPhone app, I would say, YES! And yet I’m paraphrasing when I say this. “Yes, download this app, you won’t be sorry,” would be more accurate. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary is the epitome of a great iPhone app. It gives you what you want, quickly and efficiently!
One of my favorite features is a “Voice Search.” At the top of the screen is a button that allows you to say the word you’re looking for. The Voice Search feature, which is powered by a company called Nuance, is very quick and accurate. I bombarded it with a plethora of words that are hard to pronounce, and it was flawless. I also really liked how it highlighted words within their definitions that might cause you to look them up to know their meaning. An example of this is that I used “pungent” as a word to look up. One of the meanings used the word, “caustic” as a definition. Just by clicking on “caustic” brought me to its definition.
You can also listen to how the word sounds by tapping on a speaker icon next to the word. Sometimes as in this case, the word’s pronunciation changes with how it’s used.
In the tab controller at the bottom of the screen, there are buttons for “Dictionary,” “Recent words,” “Word of the Day” and “About.” You can also click on a diagonal arrow button (Reader View) that hides the tab controller at the bottom of the screen, and the typing and audio input areas at the top. This gives you a full screen to view your results.
Another great feature is that when you type into the input field at the top of the screen, the app will provide possibilities of words you might want. This is handy when dealing with words you know how to spell, but aren’t sure about their pronunciation.
