iOS has a built-in dictionary. It’s not the best, but it’s always there. Just highlight the word, press Define, and you get the definition. You can even search for that word in Wikipedia if you want. But since it’s a default function in iOS, it doesn’t do much more than that. For example, you cannot retrieve a list of all the words you have looked up, which would be a useful learning/vocabulary tool.
On Android, there’s not even a built-in dictionary. Google Play Books has one, but it’s limited to apps. A few years ago, an app called WordLookup came out (it hasn’t been updated since October 2013, bad sign). It’s a poor hack where you need to bookmark and share the word with the app and you’ll get a floating notification that will disappear after 10 seconds.
We now have a slightly better tool in the form of Power Reading: Word Snitch.
What does Word Snitch do?
Once you have enabled the “snitching” feature, the application will monitor your clipboard. Just select any word, press copy button and you will see a pop-up with a definition line. This will stay there until you touch any other part of the screen. Touch Sphere icon to search for words on Google.
The Word Snitch implementation is better and works almost anywhere in Android. Anywhere you can copy a word there. And you can do it even in e-readers like Moon+. If you read a lot of e-books on your Android, your life will be a little better.
Improve your vocabulary with Word Snitch
Of course, dictionary lookups are only part of the application. The app will also log every word you look up. You can also manually add words to the log.
This is really helpful for those who are studying for exams or trying to learn English.
You can see all your garbled words from the app. The great thing is that you can even edit them. There is a section called For example where you can enter sentences to remember words.
This app also supports List of words to create different lists for different objects. It also has a test mode where it will present country test level words that you can add to your list and get to work.
Substitute: Cookies
Biscuit is a similar app, but it focuses more on multilingual dictionaries. So, for example, when you Copy a word, you don’t get the definition of that word in the pop-up, you get the translated word in your chosen language.
I think on the whole, Word Snitch is a much better app than Biscuit.
But there is room for improvement. For example, dictionaries could be made a lot better. I hope they improve their sourcing. Additionally, they can add flash cards, with occasional random alerts via notifications. This will help a lot in learning.
Note to developer: App has random full screen pop ads. That’s the worst kind of advertising from a user perspective. It would be great if you could offer the option of paying a few dollars to remove these ads.
If you are not a native English speaker or if you are a student, try Word Snitch. It will be worth it.
How do you improve your grammar and vocabulary? Share with us in the comments below.
Categories: How to
Source: thpttranhungdao.edu.vn/en/
