5 Best Online Spanish Dictionaries and How to Use Them
Print Spanish dictionaries are great, but they aren’t the most practical option: Online Spanish dictionaries and dictionary apps are the best for on-the-go Spanish language learners.
Since we’re seasoned Spanish learners, we’ll show you five of our favorite online Spanish dictionaries and how to make great use of them.
Contents
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1. Most Comprehensive: SpanishDict
SpanishDict is an excellent option for anyone wanting to improve their Spanish.
It provides comprehensive definitions for words, conjugations, usage examples, audio of the spoken word and sometimes even a video of someone saying the word.
It’s very thorough—even experienced speakers will likely find new and exciting definitions and usages of words they thought they already knew.
Some of the website’s main features include the word of the day, flashcard sets, popular vocabulary lists, Spanish lessons and articles on the Spanish language and culture. See our full review of SpanishDict here.
2. Best Multimedia Dictionary: FluentU
FluentU offers a video-based dictionary that allows you to learn Spanish words and phrases in real-life contexts.
You can choose from an expansive library of video clips from authentic Spanish media including movies, TV shows and inspirational talks.
Every video comes with interactive subtitles, so you can hover over any word or phrase to see its meaning, grammatical information and a related image. This means you can learn new vocabulary as you watch.
You can also click on or search for a word or phrase to see its meaning and grammatical information, pronunciation, example sentences and video clips where it’s used.
Personalized vocabulary quizzes and flashcards will help you review and memorize this vocabulary so you can use it in your Spanish conversations.
If you’re unsure, you can always try FluentU for free for two weeks.
3. Best Discussion Forums: WordReference
WordReference allows you to search for definitions, synonyms, translations or conjugations. Once you have the word plugged in, it also offers up examples of usage.
It even provides links to questions in their forum that use the target word, so you can talk to others about the word and practice using it in context.
Surf over to the forums for even more learning opportunities. They have boards dedicated to vocabulary, grammar, specialized terminology and resources.
Discussing Spanish with others is a great way for independent learners to get the benefits of conventional language classes. WordReference also offers a convenient verb conjugation tool.
4. Most Precise Definitions: Cambridge English-Spanish Dictionary
This top-tier resource is designed for accurate and reliable translations between English and Spanish. It offers clear definitions, example sentences, pronunciation guides and grammar tips.
The dictionary is particularly useful for understanding context-specific meanings and nuances, to make sure your use of Spanish words and phrases is accurate.
Its user-friendly interface allows for quick and easy look-ups, while additional resources like thesaurus entries and idiomatic expressions will enhance your learning. When you look up a word, you can also browse similar words and phrases,
Whether you’re a beginner or an advanced learner, the Cambridge English-Spanish Dictionary is an invaluable tool for mastering the language.
5. Best for Written Context: Reverso
The Reverso website offers definitions, conjugations and usage examples. With a quick click, the website will even help you search the web for news stories, images and encyclopedia entries.
If that isn’t enough for you, you can also join their free community to build vocabulary lists, add entries to a user-built dictionary and keep track of your searches.
A new and exciting feature that you’ll also want to play around with is Reverso’s “Context” tab. Type in any word, and they’ll give you several different options with a context for each.
It’s an easy way to see a lot of options at once. If you’re interested in helping shape the dictionary, you can even suggest your own examples.
Using an Online Spanish Dictionary Efficiently
Read definitions in English or Spanish
Looking up the English definitions of Spanish words will help you understand precisely what they mean without the challenge of reading in Spanish. You can confirm that you really know what certain vocabulary words mean.
If you want to practice reading in Spanish and learn new vocabulary words, look up the Spanish definitions of English words. The Spanish definition shouldn’t be too hard to follow as you’ll already know the word and its meaning in English.
For an immersive experience, you can look up the Spanish definitions of Spanish words. Reading the definitions in Spanish will help you think about the word’s meaning in Spanish. Thinking in Spanish is a key step towards fluency!
Look up synonyms and antonyms
Many dictionaries offer lists of synonyms and antonyms of words. This is helpful for any Spanish learner. You can look up synonyms to find words with the same or similar meanings as your target word.
You can look up antonyms to find words that have opposite meanings. Either option will help you build your vocabulary and develop a more complex and nuanced understanding of the language.
Review examples and conjugations
Most online dictionaries will offer examples of usage for each word. This way, you can see how it works in context, which will help you seamlessly work it into your functional vocabulary.
Once you’ve read some usage examples, try coming up with a few of your own! Some dictionaries will also provide conjugation charts for verbs. So if you need to conjugate a verb, an online dictionary can be a useful tool.
Now you can see how online Spanish dictionaries can benefit your studies, and you have some great resources to get you started.
So when you want to learn a new word, see it in context or even practice conjugations, try out one of these handy online Spanish dictionaries!
Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)
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