Using a dictionary

What is a dictionary?

A dictionary is a book that lists the words of a language and gives their meaning. The words in a dictionary are listed in alphabetical order to make it easy to find the word you need. All the words that begin with the letter “a” come first, then all the words that start with “b” and so on. If you do not know what alphabetical order is click here.

More about the dictionary

The dictionary also gives other information such as how to pronounce the words and what part of speech the words are (like verb, noun or adjective).

Some dictionaries have guide words at the top of each page. Guide words tell you the first or last word that can be found on that page. Looking at the guide words is a quick way to tell whether the word you need is on that page. Watch the video below to learn how.

How do I use a dictionary?

Watch the videos below which explain how to use a dictionary.