Different kinds of dictionaries serve different purposes. Choose the dictionary (or dictionaries) that will serve your needs as a college writer.

Abridged dictionaries

Abridged, or abbreviated, dictionaries are popular with college writers and are widely available in print and online. Online versions are unbeatable as a quick reference, but print versions may offer more information on usage. Two college dictionaries that offer notably helpful usage notes are Random House Webster’s College Dictionary, with usage notes and appendices that warn users about offensive or disparaging terms, and The American Heritage College Dictionary, which includes extensive notes on usage, including introductory essays in the form of a debate.

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Unabridged dictionaries

Unabridged, or unabbreviated, dictionaries are the most complete and thorough dictionaries of English. Print versions may appear in multiple volumes, and access to online versions often requires a subscription. Libraries offer access to unabridged dictionaries. Two especially important unabridged dictionaries are the Oxford English Dictionary and Webster’s Third New International Dictionary of the English Language. The OED offers a full history of each English word: a record of its entry into the language and the development of the word’s various meanings, with dated quotations in chronological order. Webster’s Third aims to describe the way people actually use words today rather than to prescribe standards of correct and incorrect usage.

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Learner’s dictionaries

In addition to using a good college dictionary, you may want to invest in a dictionary intended especially for learners of English, such as the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary. Such dictionaries provide information about count and noncount nouns, idioms and phrasal verbs, grammatical usage, and other topics important to learners of English. Bilingual dictionaries (such as English–Spanish) can be helpful for quick translations of common words but rarely give information about usage or related idioms. Many multilingual writers find it helpful to use multiple dictionaries to get a range of information about a word and its usage.

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Specialized dictionaries

Sometimes you will need to turn to specialized dictionaries, especially if you are seeking more information on usage, synonyms, or slang. A librarian can help you find an appropriate resource.

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For Multilingual Writers: Using the dictionary to learn idioms

For Multilingual Writers: Consulting a learner's dictionary