Wild card search
Did you know that Wordsmyth’s dictionary search box permits the use of wild card symbols?
The question mark (?) and the asterisk (*)—these unassuming symbols are surprisingly powerful, as they can represent any letter or string of letters in a word. Understanding how to use them will increase your ability to find words you can’t spell or don’t fully recall. Wild card symbols also allow you to find groups of words that contain a particular letter pattern.
Where is the thesaurus?
We’re often asked “Where’s the thesaurus in your dictionary?” What some users don’t recognize right away is that synonyms, similar words, and antonyms are matched with each sense of a word and appear directly under the appropriate definition for a particular headword. A user doesn’t need to click anywhere to get thesaurus information and doesn’t need to leave the page in order to see it. In other words, the thesaurus is not a separate entity, but something built into the dictionary entries themselves. This is why we call it an “integrated thesaurus.”
Have an idea but not the word?
“Reverse search” is an advanced search tool that allows you to search within the full text of the dictionary for words, word parts, or phrases that may be useful to you, either in finding a word for a meaning you have in mind or in finding a pool of words for writing inspiration or assignments. A typical way of using the reverse search feature in Search Tools is to search for words that have the search term in their definitions or example sentences.