MERRIAM-WEBSTER DICTIONARY
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Looking Up a Word

The WWWebster Dictionary is very easy to use. To look up a word, simply type it and press on SEARCH

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Wildcard Searches

Wildcard characters let you search for words when you don't know all the letters in them -- for example, if you're not sure how to spell a word. WWWebster Dictionary lets you use the standard wildcards "?" and "*" to help in such situations.

The wildcard symbol "?" represents any single character and the wildcard symbol "*" represents any string of characters. Just use them to replace the letters you don't know. For example, a search for m?n will find man and men as well as the abbreviations min, mon, mtn, and mun. A search for m*n will find those entries and will also find macaroon, magnification, maiden, maintain, and many other words that begin with m and end with n.

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Search Results

When you do a search with the WWWebster Dictionary , you may see three kinds of results: a full-dictionary entry for the word you searched; a list of words, compounds, or phrases that contain the word you searched for; or a screen informing you that your word was not found.

The dictionary automatically displays the first main entry in the dictionary that is an exact match for the word you searched. If the dictionary includes any other main entries that contain the word you typed, a list of those words will appear in a scrollable list box on the top of the Results Screen. You can view the entry for any word in this list by highlighting it and pressing on the GO TO button.

The words in the Results List generally appear in alphabetical order, with the homographs for the word you typed first, followed by compounds containing the word.

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Cross-references

All cross-references that appear in SMALL CAPITALS are linked to the appropriate entry. Simply press on the linked text (which appears underlined) to access the entry for a linked word.

Starting a New Search

To begin a new search, simply press on the NEW SEARCH link on the Results Screen.

Spelling Help

If the word you search for is misspelled or is not entered in the dictionary, you will see a screen with the message, "Your word was not found. Substitute one of these words?" You will see a scrollable list of possible alternatives (including spelling alternatives) for the word you typed. To view an entry for one of the words in the list, highlight it and press on the GO TO button.

If the spell checker still doesn't help, try a wildcard search. Type the letters you know in the word and use the asterisk (*) to represent the letters you aren't sure of. The Results List will show you all the words that match the pattern you type.

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