What is a Dictionary?

A dictionary is a reference book, which focuses on defining words and phrases, including several meanings. The most frequently used dictionary is a language dictionary that includes most frequently used words in a language. Dictionaries are made for different types of users: researchers, office workers, schools, and second language learners.

Adult English language dictionaries typically include hyphenation information, pronunciation guides, parts of speech, alternate spellings, etymological information, sample sentences, usage notes, and sometimes interchangeably. Cross-references can be used for lesser-used forms, such as variations in a British dictionary of American English, and diagrams and illustrations to help reinforce the definitions. There are many competing dictionaries put out by different companies. Not only do they have different forms - paperback, hardbound, and online versions - but they differ in other ways. Each company, for example, uses its own version of phonetic respelling based on research conducted by its experts. A company may use the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA), others have proprietary pronunciation symbols, and yet others use letters of the alphabet in a special way to indicate pronunciation.

Other differences between dictionaries appear in other functions. Many dictionaries include their experts' advice on grammar, usage and history of the English language. Definitions vary slightly, and sample sentences can be the work of the editors or taken from real-world use, perhaps the first known written use, whenever possible.

There are other types of dictionaries beyond the standard English dictionary. There are dictionaries for the various dialects of English dictionaries for other languages and bilingual dictionaries to help you translate from one language to another. There are dictionaries of living language dictionaries and language that are preserved only in fragments of old manuscripts and dictionaries to address specialized areas of language such as idioms or political slang.

Variants of the dictionary gives some ingenious new forms of encyclopedias. Multi-function dictionaries can combine the characteristics of a dictionary and a thesaurus. Dictionaries organized thematically to help you when you do not know exactly what words you want.Misspelling dictionaries have entries for the ordinary spelling words, so you can find words even when you do not know how to spell them correctly.