Filed under: Software, Mac 101
Mac 101: Getting the most out of Dictionary.app
Welcome back to Mac 101, our series of posts aimed at novice Mac users and veterans who like the occasional refresher.Mac OS X is equipped with a dictionary application that does pretty much what you'd expect, and a few things you might not. Here's how you can get the most out of Dictionary.
Most people use a dictionary to look up a word's definition. Doing so in Dictionary is pretty straightforward: Just launch the app, type your target term into the search field and hit return. That's all well and good, but not very interesting.
Here's what is. Click any word in the definition to find the meaning of that word. Do this just once, and an orange "Snap Back" icon appears in the search field. When clicked, it brings you back to your original search term.
Here's another cool trick. Let's say you looked up "Surname." Dictionary displays it broken up by syllable: "sur•name." If you highlight and copy it, it will paste as it should be written: "surname."
But wait, there's more! Highlight or position the cursor over a word in any Cocoa application (Safari, for example) and hit Control-Command-D. A small window appears that displays that word's definition and thesaurus alternative(s). If the term in question is the name of an Apple product, you'll see that product's official description from Apple. Clicking "More" at the bottom of this tiny window launches Dictionary.
Let's say you typically misspell a word that you have to type often (my Achilles' heel is "Twitterrific"). Simply right- or Control-click that word and select "Learn Spelling" to add it to Dictionary.
Dictionary is also more than a collection of definitions. You can quickly switch between a thesaurus, official descriptions of Apple products and Wikipedia. Additionally, select "Font/Back Matter" from the Go menu to access a slew of great information, like
- Proofreader's Marks
- The History of English
- Countries of the World
- Chemical Elements
/Library/Dictionaries/New Oxford American Dictionary.dictionary/Contents/Images
and switching to Cover Flow view.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
macuser said 9:41AM on 6-25-2009
"But wait, there's more! Highlight or position the cursor over a word in any Cocoa application (Safari, for example) and hit Control-Command-D. A small window appears that displays that word's definition and thesaurus alternative(s). If the term in question is the name of an Apple product, you'll see that product's official description from Apple. Clicking "More" at the bottom of this tiny window launches Dictionary."
If you open Dictionary.app and go to Preferences you can set this to happen when you control-click a word and choose look up in dictionary instead of having to open the app every time you want to see a quick definition. This is what I use. It is faster and convenient.
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Dano said 11:35AM on 6-25-2009
"If you open Dictionary.app and go to Preferences you can set this to happen when you control-click a word and choose look up in dictionary instead of having to open the app every time you want to see a quick definition. This is what I use. It is faster and convenient."
I'm really confused by your comment - I use the Ctrl-Cmd-D shortcut as described in the article, and it does not require Dictionary to be opened/running.
macuser said 11:59AM on 6-25-2009
Ok, when you right click a word and choose "Look Up in Dictionary" the dictionary app opens and takes you to that word. The Ctrl-Cmd-D shortcut brings up that cool little box that does not require the app to be open. In the dictionary apps preferences you can change this so that choosing "Look Up in Dictionary" brings up the cool box instead of opening the app. I'll admit the first post was confusing. :)
PistolPeet said 9:58AM on 6-25-2009
You can also use spotlight to search the dictionary (in 10.5). Just cmd-space and start typing the word you want defined (it also has mini-biographies of important historical figures, etc).
I love the C-C-D shortcut but the application I'd find it most useful in (firefox) still isn't cocoa-based :(
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Eric said 2:24AM on 6-29-2009
That's how I always do it... I don't usually have to even start Dictionary to see if the word is the right one, if I'm not sure that I'm using it correctly.
glad said 10:18AM on 6-25-2009
Does anyone know how I can use the oxford british dictionary instead of the american version, doesn't seem to give that option.
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UnusualAspect said 4:00AM on 6-27-2009
If you as set up for Brit. english, you'll find all the british variants if you just search. e.g. search for colour, you'll get taken to color (Brit. colour).
If you must have the OED, you'll have to buy it...
http://ukcatalogue.oup.com/product/9780199563838.do
FoxyOrb said 10:39AM on 6-25-2009
Wow!, thanks fot the eye candy tip for browsing every photo in the dictionary. Here is another small fact, write fbm in the search field to obtain an alphabetical list of the Front/Back Matter subjects.
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rob said 10:42AM on 6-25-2009
If you hold down ctrl-cmd-d, you can just run your cursor over words and it updates the description window in real-time. Useless (ish) but cool
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shawn s. said 11:53AM on 6-25-2009
I just need to know if I can edit the actual Dictionary. My ALWAYS misspelled word is "just" and it inevitably gets typed as "juts" which is in the dictionary. Any advice? (besides leaning to type better...lol)
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ecobore said 11:26AM on 6-25-2009
the essential thing missing is in the thesaurus. No way to select another word and have it automatically swopped out. You have to copy the new word and paste it over the old word in whatever you are working in. This a major pain, even MS turd allowed you to do this in the version I used years ago.. (don't have it now...)
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Mark said 1:32PM on 6-25-2009
This is a bad sign for Dell and horrible PR. I don't know what they thought they were gonna get out of it, but apparently not a hell of a lot of good and probably a fair amount of ridicule.
It kinda hurts to see a once cocky on-top-of-the-world-ma company fall so.
Adnium said 12:20PM on 6-25-2009
I never realised that you could read the foreword in Dictionary.app; it's quite an interesting read.
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Gabe said 1:59PM on 6-25-2009
You can also quickly type in the word in your spotlight (shortcut - Cmd + Spacebar), and it will have the dictionary definition ready.
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Floggy Bottom said 2:58PM on 6-25-2009
The app is called Dictionary. Not "Dictionary.app". Also, it's Mail, or Apple Mail, not "Mail.app".
Seriously, how did this stupid-ass habit get started, tacking ".app" onto the names of programs? Annoying as fuckall.
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iCaci said 3:53PM on 6-25-2009
Because most Mac OS X apps are really directories (bundles) with ".app" suffix, that's how. "Get Info" on a directory to see it for yourself.
UnusualAspect said 4:04AM on 6-27-2009
it says dictionary.app on my apps folder dude...
Floggy Bottom said 4:30PM on 6-25-2009
iCaci -
Um, I know what a .app is. I meant the usage in conversation and articles. Is anyone really so confused by "Mail" or "Dictionary" that ".app" has to be appended? It's stupid.
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ecobore said 5:29PM on 6-25-2009
couldn't agree more.
drop the .app stuff guys. We all know what it is!!!
Zac Grose said 8:12AM on 6-26-2009
The suffix .app is used in Mail.app and Dictionary.app because the names ‘Mail’ and ‘Dictionary’ do not properly determine exactly what is being referred. If this article explained how to make the most of the dictionary, you would not be faulted for believing the article would be full of tips about word tips and index information that translates to any dictionary, rather than the Dictionary application on your Mac.
The same, if not to a larger extent, applies to Mail.app. Saying ‘10 tips for Mail’ could be tips for managing your email, advice for signatures, and good practices for other email etiquette. Simply sufficing ‘.app’ eliminates this potential confusion.