How Often Do You Use the Dictionary or Google?

Do You Have to Use a Dictionary or Google to Define Words?

  • 5

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • I Use a Dictionary When Needed

    Votes: 15 39.5%

  • I Google All The Definitions

    Votes: 13 34.2%

  • I Hardly Ever Have to Use a Dictionary or Google.

    Votes: 7 18.4%

  • I Wonder About Many Words But Don't Care Much.

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Other-Please Explain...

    Votes: 6 15.8%
  • Total voters
    38
Ruth n Jersey said:
I rarely use it. I have spell check but so many times my attempt is so bad it can't figure out the word I'm trying to spell. I don't even go to the dictionary for that, I just go to search and put in a quick sentence using the word I use Wikipedia quite often to find info on a subject that interests me.
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I don't even use a sentence, just type in the word or even an anagram I don't know. I also love Wikipedia, use it often and feel bad I don't donate to it, but my income barely is enough to pay all my expenses. Like the adage says, "Charity begins at home".
 

StarSong said:
I also use duckduckgo (because it doesn't track you) as a search engine, but generally go to dictionary.com for definitions. Someone here (maybe Ken?) turned me on to a very handy little gizmo, WordWeb.

Like @Ruthanne, there are some words whose meanings I never seem to fully grasp no matter how many times I look them up. "Sanguine" comes immediately to mind. Does it mean flushed, red, cheerful, bloody? All of the above? "Insipid" is another that I'd never be comfortable using.

Pffft...
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I still need to Google surreal...lol
 
I usually start out Googling a word for meaning or spelling, if I need more I grab the dictionary, right on my computer desk.
 
I forgot to say what i do:

I used to use a dictionary but it got so old and yellowed and the pages were bent so I threw it out then started googling. I like all the answers everyone had and now I have some alternatives to googling.

Oh yeah, the definition of surreal, finally:

Surreal | Definition of Surreal at Dictionary.com

https://www.dictionary.com › browse › surreal
adjective. of, relating to, or characteristic of surrealism, an artistic and literary style; surrealistic. having the disorienting, hallucinatory quality of a dream; unreal; fantastic: surreal complexities of the bureaucracy.
 
I check my spelling daily. I do know the definitions of words I use and type but spelling sometimes goes awry so I check to be sure.
 
I keep a dictionary on my desk and use it when necessary, several times a week. I google words often Yet still make mistakes. I don’t type as well as I used too. And still must double check myself.
Whatever I used to be, age sometimes trumps it. I guess it is safe to say I do all I can to make myself understood and sometime, fail.
 
drifter said:
I keep a dictionary on my desk and use it when necessary, several times a week. I google words often Yet still make mistakes. I don’t type as well as I used too. And still must double check myself.
Whatever I used to be, age sometimes trumps it. I guess it is safe to say I do all I can to make myself understood and sometime, fail.
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I sure know what you mean about what age does to us. I fail at times, too, and think we all do.
 
Ruthanne said:
I still need to Google surreal...lol
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Completely understand.

My computer must think I'm exceptionally dense because I've likely looked up sanguine and insipid 30 times each over the years and still can't get their meanings to make sense to me. I rarely have difficulty adding words and meanings to my vocabulary, so these two oddities, if you'll pardon my saying so, are a bit surreal.
 
Amy time I encounter a word I'm not sure I understand I will google it to clarify the definition. I also use the various online dictionaries to check my pronunciation, because I will sometimes come across a word that I'm uncertain how to pronounce.

The latest was "charcuterie." Because its derivation is french, I was uncertain if it was pronounced pretty much as it's spelled or not. In case y'all don't know, most online dictionaries have a helpful feature. Next to the word you'll see a small symbol that you can click on to hear the pronunciation. I find that enormously helpful.
 
Ronni said:
Amy time I encounter a word I'm not sure I understand I will google it to clarify the definition. I also use the various online dictionaries to check my pronunciation, because I will sometimes come across a word that I'm uncertain how to pronounce.

The latest was "charcuterie." Because its derivation is french, I was uncertain if it was pronounced pretty much as it's spelled or not. In case y'all don't know, most online dictionaries have a helpful feature. Next to the word you'll see a small symbol that you can click on to hear the pronunciation. I find that enormously helpful.
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I do the same, Ronni!
 
StarSong said:
My computer must think I'm exceptionally dense because I've likely looked up sanguine and insipid 30 times each over the years and still can't get their meanings to make sense to me. I rarely have difficulty adding words and meanings to my vocabulary, so these two oddities, if you'll pardon my saying so, are a bit surreal.
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I can totally relate to your comment. For some reason, every time I hear the word "hyperbole" I have to look it up, or ask Alexa, to fully comprehend it. I am still not sure I could tell you NOW what it means, but at least getting the meaning "in the moment" helps me at the time.
 
Catlady said:
THANKS for the tip! I used to pride myself in being a good speller, but lately those underlined words have been appearing more often. I try to use my gray matter by ''guessing'' the correct spelling and then go to Google only when stumped.
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Also, if your spellchecker doesn't recognize a word...like if its "ar·ma·men·tar·i·um" or something strange, it will underline it even if its spelled right or hyphened right.
 
I'm a good speller, but I google definitions and pronunciations a lot, just because so many words are misused and mispronounced. I also use Google: Translate for foreign languages. (Did you know that "diva" means a female singer with a big voice? Not a hopeless narcissist.)
 

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