Merriam Webster’s Pocket Dictionary on your iPod

Found this iPod Pocket Dictionary on my Gizmodo feed yesterday, and thought I’d pass it along. Since it’s the pocket version of the Merriam Webster dictionary, it’s only about 40,000 words. Interestingly, it appears that the interface doesn’t make you spell out the word by scrolling through letters, instead you select the first letter, then scroll through the choices. Sounds like the right design balance (limit the lookup choices, but ensure the interface isn’t frustrating to the user.)

Now, an additional feature that would really combine the audio power of the iPod with the dictionary would be a pronunciation guide that speaks the word aloud on demand. I really appreciate that feature in the online version of Merriam Webster at www.m-w.com. I’m usually a decent speller but can really butcher word pronunciations. The example word on the product site, abstract, has different pronunciations for the verb and the noun. Seize the opportunity for the technology mashup when you can, I say.

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Open, editable online dictionary

You can submit entries to Merriam-Webster’s Open Dictionary

In the spirit of Wikipedia (which by the way, isn’t as editable as it used to be), Merriam-Webster now has an Open Dictionary. So far there are over 2800 entries. You can submit an entry or browse submitted entries.

Okay, okay. I just wanted the last post of 2005 on talk.bmc.com. Happy new year, everyone!

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