Home Enamored With Words? You’ll Love Wordnik

Enamored With Words? You’ll Love Wordnik

We just came acrossWordnik, a very cool alternative to traditional dictionary sites like Dictionary.com or Merriam-Webster‘s web site. On one page, Wordnik displays a word’s definition, pronunciation, synonyms, antonyms, a word’s etymology, and stats about how often a word was used. Registered users can also add their own lists of synonyms and related words to the site (registration is free). The site’s design could still use a bit of refinement, but in terms of its features, Wordnik comes close to beating out most other traditional dictionary sites.

Words in Context

One of the nicest features of Wordnik is that it will show the word you are looking for in context as well. Wordnik curates a large archive of blog posts, web sites, and newspaper and magazine archives, as well as out-of-copyright books from Project Gutenberg. The site will also display the most recent messages on Twitter that used the word you are looking for.

1.7 Million Words

Wordnik currently gets its definitions from sites like the American Heritage Dictionary, WordNet, and the GNU version of The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. Synonyms and antonyms (besides user-submitted ones) come from Reogat’s New Thesaurus and Allen’s Synonyms and Antonyms.

In an interview with Caroline McCarthy, Wordnik’s CEO, Erin MCKean points out that Wordnik’s database currently includes about 1.7 million words (in total, including examples, the service claims to have collected more than 4 billion words), and that the company is working on smartphone apps, an API for developers, and a kid-friendly version of the site. Wordnik just launched yesterday, but the service already looks like a great alternative to more established dictionary sites, and we would recommend that you give it a try the next time you are about to head to dictionary.com.

Tip of the hat to the good folks at Lifehacker for pointing us to this service.

About ReadWrite’s Editorial Process

The ReadWrite Editorial policy involves closely monitoring the tech industry for major developments, new product launches, AI breakthroughs, video game releases and other newsworthy events. Editors assign relevant stories to staff writers or freelance contributors with expertise in each particular topic area. Before publication, articles go through a rigorous round of editing for accuracy, clarity, and to ensure adherence to ReadWrite's style guidelines.

Get the biggest tech headlines of the day delivered to your inbox

    By signing up, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy. Unsubscribe anytime.

    Tech News

    Explore the latest in tech with our Tech News. We cut through the noise for concise, relevant updates, keeping you informed about the rapidly evolving tech landscape with curated content that separates signal from noise.

    In-Depth Tech Stories

    Explore tech impact in In-Depth Stories. Narrative data journalism offers comprehensive analyses, revealing stories behind data. Understand industry trends for a deeper perspective on tech's intricate relationships with society.

    Expert Reviews

    Empower decisions with Expert Reviews, merging industry expertise and insightful analysis. Delve into tech intricacies, get the best deals, and stay ahead with our trustworthy guide to navigating the ever-changing tech market.