The following is a basic formula for citing a particular word’s entry in one of our dictionaries, which you can modify according to whatever style guide you are using. (Specific examples using APA or MLA follow this introduction.)
1. Begin with the headword, as Wordsmyth does not list an author or authors. (The examples below are for the headword “bay,” which is included in all of our dictionaries.)
2. Follow the headword with the name of the particular Wordsmyth dictionary you are citing. The formal names of each of our dictionaries are as follows:
- Wordsmyth Advanced Dictionary
- Wordsmyth Intermediate Dictionary
- Wordsmyth Beginner’s Dictionary
- Wordsmyth Word Explorer Children’s Dictionary
- Wordsmyth Illustrated Learner’s Dictionary (WILD)
3. Follow with the date of publication. Dictionary entries can be updated at any time, so, for the publication date, it is best to use the copyright date that appears at the bottom of each of our webpages.
4. Next, include the URL of the specific page for the dictionary entry.
5. Give the date you accessed the entry. We feel it is important to provide the access date, as, again, any page can be revised at any time. The example below shows that this person accessed the entry for “bay” on August 5, 2019.
Examples of basic formula:
“bay.” Wordsmyth Advanced Dictionary. 2019. https://www.wordsmyth.net/?level=3&ent_l=bay&rid=3500 (5 August, 2019)
“bay.” Wordsmyth Word Explorer Children’s Dictionary. 2019. https://kids.wordsmyth.net/we/?ent=bay (5 August, 2019)
“bay.” Wordsmyth Illustrated Learner’s Dictionary (WILD). 2019. https://kids.wordsmyth.net/wild/#/home?entry=bay (5 August, 2019)
APA style
If you are using APA style, the first example above would be modified so that it looks like the following:
bay. (2019). In Wordsmyth Advanced Dictionary. Retrieved August 5, 2019, from
https://www.wordsmyth.net/?level=3&ent_l=bay&rid=3500
MLA Handbook
If you are using MLA style, the second example above would look like the following. (Note that MLA does not use “https://” in citing URLs. Also, MLA does not require an access date, but, again, we do recommend including one, as entries can be modified at any time.)
“bay.” Wordsmyth Word Explorer Children’s Dictionary, www.kids.wordsmyth.net/we/?ent=bay.
Accessed 5 August, 2019.
Note that if you do not include the access date, you will need to include the date of publication, for which you can use our current copyright year:
“bay.” Wordsmyth Word Explorer Children’s Dictionary, 2019, www.kids.wordsmyth.net/we/?ent=bay.
One final note…
For in-text citations and citing specific definitions of a headword, please follow the format prescribed by the particular style manual you are using in your writing. We also suggest that you check to be sure that your style manual hasn’t changed its general guidelines for citing online resources.
Best wishes from Wordsmyth on your writing project!