Incredible! Writing Reference Tools
Dictionaries, Glossaries, & Language Resources

QUICKLY find your most often needed writing reference resources. English writing guidance that used to take you several minutes or hours to chase-down, now takes just seconds...

Use this quick reference page to find the just right word - or way to say it, using these convienent hyper-links covering: general references, English around the world, world languages, specialized glossaries and translation resources.

Digital Writing Help
General References
English Around the World
World Languages
Specialized Glossaries
Translation Resources
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AskOxford.com
http://www.askoxford.com - A variety of dictionary and language tools.
Encyberpedia: Dictionaries, Glossaries, & Thesauri
http://www.encyberpedia.com/glossary.htm
Links to a wide range of useful dictionaries and glossaries.
TheFreeDictionary.com
http://www.TheFreeDictionary.com
Offers a: dictionary, thesaurus, literature reference library and search engine, all in one. Also offers a script that enables you to include a dictionary search box on your own website.
Merriam-Webster Online: Language Center
http://www.m-w.com
If your dictionary isn't handy, look up words on this site -- and find out when a word first (officially) entered the English language.
One-Look Dictionaries
http://www.onelook.com
Hundreds of links to a wide range of dictionaries and glossaries. Offers "lookup" search function. Probably the best-known dictionary site online.
On-Line Dictionaries and Glossaries
http://www.lai.com/glossaries.html
Links to dictionaries in more than 60 language groups and categories, from Afrikaans to Zulu (including artificial languages and multilingual dictionaries).
Thesaurus.com
http://thesaurus.reference.com
Search for synonyms, antonyms, or word categories; look up words, place names, biblical names and zip codes; enjoy daily crosswords and word search puzzles; translate text and web pages.
WordNet 1.6 Vocabulary Helper
http://poets.notredame.ac.jp/cgi-bin/wn
A useful tool that enables you to look up a word (including uncommon words) to find out its definition, usage and history.
Wordsmyth: The Educational Dictionary/Thesaurus
http://www.wordsmyth.net

American-British/British-American Dictionary
http://www.travelfurther.net/dictionaries
Translates U.S. terms to British and vice versa.
Australian English Glossary from A to Zed
http://www.uta.fi/FAST/US1/REF/aust-eng.html
Nothing quite matches Australian English for its lively colorful phrases, this site declares. Give it a burl!
American Heritage Book of English Usage
http://www.bartleby.com/64
English Etymology
http://eleaston.com/etymology.html
Links to dictionaries of "English around the world," including Irish English, Caribbean English, English in India ~ plus etymologies, the history of English, phrase finders, "the influence of other languages on English," international names, place names and more.
The Omnificent English Dictionary In Limerick Form
http://www.oedilf.com/db/Lim.php
An effort to define every word in the English language with a limerick; definitely a site by, and for, people with way too much time in their hands.
World Wide Words
http://www.worldwidewords.org/
Devoted to the English language -- its history, quirks, curiosities and evolution. Includes Weird Words, topical words, definitions, usage, phrases, and more.
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Australian Indigenous Languages
http://www.dnathan.com/VL/austLang.htm
Links to grammars, dictionaries and other resources relating to the non-English languages spoken in Australia (such as Kamilaroi, Ayapathu and Jingulu), plus topics like "Bush Food and Medicine" and more.
Gaelic/Irish Dictionaries
http://www.smo.uhi.ac.uk/~smacsuib/focloir
ilovelanguages
http://www.ilovelanguages.com/
Links to a host of international language resources.
On-Line Dictionaries and Glossaries
http://www.lai.com/glossaries.html
Links to dictionaries in more than 60 language groups and categories, from Afrikaans to Zulu (and including artificial languages and multilingual dictionaries).
Pronunciation Guide
http://ibb7.ibb.gov/pronunciations
Look up not only the meaning and spelling of international words, but how they are pronounced.
Verbix Online Conjugator
http://www.verbix.com/webverbix
Conjugate verbs in a host of languages, modern and ancient (including Old Saxon, Proto-Indo-European, Swahile, and dozens more).
YourDictionary.com
http://www.yourdictionary.com
Look up words through the search function, or browse articles on translation and language issues, or explore the more than 230 international language dictionaries and glossaries (including multilingual dictionaries and endangered languages).
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Abbreviations.com
http://www.abbreviations.com
Search for acronyms and abbreviations, or browse by category (e.g., computers, science, food, games, international, etc. -- 117 categories in all).
Acronym Finder
http://www.acronymfinder.com
Look up 60,000 acronyms/abbreviations and their meanings.
Acronyma
http://www.acronyma.com
Billed as "the largest acronym database on the Web," with over 446,000 entries; use it to look up the meaning of an acronym.
Antique Words, by C. J. Cherryh
http://www.cherryh.com/www/antique1.htm
A list of words that were commonly used prior to the 1900's; useful if you'd like to avoid anachronistic phrases in your historical fiction.
Biographical Dictionary
http://www.s9.com
A dictionary covering "more than 20,000 notable men and women who have shaped our world from ancient times to the present day."
Bob's Print Guide Glossary
http://www.bobs.co.uk/print/glossary.html
Glossary of printing and publishing terms.
Castle Terms
http://www.castlesontheweb.com/glossary.html
Cliche Finder
http://www.westegg.com/cliche
An interesting resource that enables you to search for "clich¡s" by keyword (e.g., a search on "cat" provides such gems as "Busier than a one-eyed cat watching two mouse holes").
Dictionary of Slang
http://www.peevish.co.uk/slang
DOD Dictionary of Military Terms
http://www.dtic.mil/doctrine/jel/doddict
Easton's Bible Dictionary
http://www.ccel.org/ccel/easton/ebd2.toc.html
FAST Glossary Center
http://www.uta.fi/FAST/GC
List of all kinds of glossaries and dictionaries.
Feudal Terms of England
http://langs.eserver.org/feudal-dictionary.txt
Glossarist, The
http://www.glossarist.com
Links to a huge selection of glossaries on a vast range of topics.
Glossary of Grammatical Terms
http://www.writingenglish.com/glossary.htm
Glossary of Internet Terms
http://www.matisse.net/files/glossary.html
Glossary of Poetic Terms
http://www.poeticbyway.com/glossary.html
An excellent dictionary of poetic terms.
Glossary of Poetic Terms
http://rpo.library.utoronto.ca/display_rpo/poetterm.cfm
A fascinating collection of terms, from acatalectic to zeugma.
Hellatine Dictionary of Bureaucratese
http://home.earthlink.net/~skilton/dictionary.html
How Many? A Dictionary of Units of Measurement
http://www.unc.edu/~rowlett/units
investorwords.com
http://www.investorwords.com
Dictionary of financial and investment terms.
Knighthood, Chivalry & Tournament Glossary of Terms
http://www.chronique.com/Library/Glossaries/glossary-KCT/glssindx.htm
Medi-Lexicon
http://www.pharma-lexicon.com
"A dictionary of over 140,000 medical, pharmaceutical, biomedical & healthcare acronyms and abbreviations. Plus medical news and searches for the medical, pharmaceutical or healthcare professional."
Netlingo: The Internet Dictionary
http://www.netlingo.com
The Nonverbal Dictionary of Gestures, Signs and Body Language Cues
http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/diction1.htm
Subtitled "From Adam's Apple Jump to Zygomatic Smile," this offers a wealth of information on body language.
The Omnificent English Dictionary In Limerick Form
http://www.oedilf.com/db/Lim.php
An effort to define every word in the English language with a limerick; definitely a site by and for people with way too much time in their hands.
Origins of Phrases
http://members.aol.com/MorelandC/Phrases.htm
Origins and meanings of hundreds of common (and uncommon) phrases.
Scientific and Technical Acronyms, Symbols and Abbreviations
http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/cgi-bin/mrwhome/104554766/HOME
Semantic Rhyming Dictionary
http://www.rhymezone.com
Look up rhymes by sound, number of syllables, and preferred meaning.
Smith's Bible Dictionary
http://www.ccel.org/ccel/smith_W/bibledict.toc.html
Symbols.com
http://www.symbols.com
"SYMBOLS.com contains more than 2,500 Western signs, arranged into 54 groups according to their graphic characteristics. In 1,600 articles their histories, uses, and meanings are thoroughly discussed. The signs range from ideograms carved in mammoth teeth by Cro-Magnon men, to hobo signs and subway graffiti."
Twists, Slugs and Roscoes: A Glossary of Hardboiled Slang
http://www.miskatonic.org/slang.html
A fun guide to "detective" and police slang, especially of the 20's, 30's and 40's.
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AltaVista Translation
http://babelfish.altavista.com/translate.dyn
A free online translation tool for words and phrases. (Seems to work well with shorter phrases, but use caution when attempting to use any automatic "tool" to translate longer materials or documents.)
Foreignword.com
http://www.foreignword.com
Dictionary search tools, machine translation links, glossary links, and a translation forum.
Freetranslation.com
http://www.freetranslation.com
Here's a handy site to translate texts into and out of English, from a handful of major languages (including Spanish, French, and German). It isn't perfect, but it is enough to help you make sense of a letter, even if all the words aren't properly translated or translated at all; I wouldn't suggest it for trying to convert your own work to another language.
FreeTranslator.com
http://www.free-translator.com
Offers a variety of free translation interfaces.
Global Translation Services
http://www.gts-translation.com/freetranslation.asp
A free online translation tool that provides translation in a number of language pairs, including English, French, Italian, German, Spanish, Catalan, Portuguese and Russian.
Languages-on-the-Web
http://www.languages-on-the-web.com
A wealth of resources to help one learn languages or find publications in different languages, links to international language resources and sites in various languages, and translators.
NCTA Searchable Translator Database
http://www.lai.com/ncta/trdb.htm
If you need translation services to market a piece abroad, you can search this directory by language and specialty.
PEN Directory of Translators
http://www.pen.org/page.php/prmID/154
Search for a translator by language.
Pronunciation Guide
http://ibb7.ibb.gov/pronunciations
Look up not only the meaning and spelling of international words, but how they are pronounced.
Translate-Free.com
http://Translate-Free.com
An extensive list of links to sites that offer free online translations in various languages or lexicons, including sites that enable you to hear the translation.
Translatorsbase.com
http://www.translatorsbase.com
An international database of translators available in multiple languages. Listings of translation jobs and translation projects. Free translation services. Tools for translators, translation agencies and translation outsourcers. Free Registration.
Translators Center
http://www.translatorscenter.com
Links to a variety of translation resources.
Translator's Home Companion
http://www.lai.com/companion.html
"A focal point of information about resources available on the Internet and elsewhere for translators, interpreters, and all those interested in the arts and crafts of foreign languages." Includes news, library catalogs, databases, directories of translators, translation agencies and organizations, dictionaries, localization/globalization information, and more.
WinDi Multilingual Dictionaries
http://www.windi7.com/index_all.php
Free online multidirectional dictionaries in 7 languages (Dutch, English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese and Spanish), including complete verb conjugation and grammar.
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