Review by Amanda Bindel, Common Sense Education | Updated December 2016

The Free Dictionary by Farlex

Vast word reference features tons of content and word games

Common Sense Says:

Rating Details

Teachers Say (1 Review):

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Grades

3-12 This grade range is a recommendation by Common Sense Education and not the developer/publisher.

See subjects & skills

Daily actvities can serve as a kind of dashboard for word challenges.

Idiom of the Day is demonstrated with a short video.

Polish synonym and antonym skills through games.

See progress and share details with friends.

Play word games like Hangman, Spelling Bee, Words within Words, and WordHub.

Pros: It's comprehensive, multilingual, and engaging, and games are fun for all vocab levels.

Cons: The interface is overwhelmingly busy.

Bottom Line: Powerful tool crammed full of games, classic reference information, and flexible controls.

Lesson & Activity Ideas

The individual profile and daily features make this a great once-a-day activity in a 1:1 classroom. Students could check in if they finish work early or at a set point during the day, and spend as much time as available exploring language and playing word games. Older students could challenge one another in games; younger students could challenge the teacher! Foreign language classes and English language learners could find the app really useful, too. Teachers will need to pay to disable the banner ad across the bottom of the screen.

Tool Overview

Dictionary. (formerly The Free Dictionary by Farlex) is a comprehensive dictionary app that includes standard definition info as well as audio, alternate definitions, translation, origins, and thesaurus entries. It can be toggled into 14 common world languages, and the Customize button allows users to toggle 12 main page daily updates. At the top of the screen, users type words into the text box for word searches or expand for advanced search options, bookmarks, settings (such as larger fonts), and sharing.

Content spans encyclopedic, legal, medical, and financial knowledge from numerous publisher sources (like McGraw-Hill, Houghton Mifflin, and HarperCollins) and from Wikipedia, and the tool provides alternate sources as well as citations for each search. Daily updates include Word of the Day, Article of the Day, Quote of the Day, This Day in History, and Weather. There's no general explanation of how to read entries, but the help section on the website gives thorough guidance. Flexible search options like "starts with," "ends with," and "one click lookup" make it easier to find words when kids aren't sure of the spelling. Users can post word entries or share other content to Facebook or Twitter, or send via SMS or email.

Learning Value

This is an impressive, content-rich dictionary app. Upper-elementary students will want to play Hangman, Spelling Bee, and Words within Words. Middle and high school students can perform word searches to improve spelling, determine the meanings of words across the disciplines, understand figurative language, acquire domain-specific vocabulary, and, finally, apply all these skills to writing activities (including citing sources). Offering the ability to share, change font size or language, customize daily updates, and use audio and voice recognition, the app is appropriate and engaging for kids of almost all ages -- the app includes objective and non-glorified definitions of sex, drugs, and curse words, but so do all good dictionaries.

The design isn't as slick as it could be, but it's worth the trade-off for all the other quality features. In fact, the only feature lacking is built-in voice recognition, but the device's built-in features for voice recognition could work well instead.

Rating Details

Overall Rating

Engagement Is the product stimulating, entertaining, and engrossing? Will kids want to return?

Games, daily word notifications, news, and more pull users in, though the layout can be overwhelming.

Pedagogy Is learning content seamlessly baked-in, and do kids build conceptual understanding? Is the product adaptable and empowering? Will skills transfer?

Breadth and depth of content is impressive, as are the options for display, search, and language. Word games offer lots of ways to learn and practice vocab skills.

Support Does the product take into account learners of varying abilities, skill levels, and learning styles? Does it address both struggling and advanced students?

Fourteen world languages, translation, audio, and main page controls make the app accessible for non-native English speakers. Users can customize which features show up.

Common Sense Reviewer

Amanda Bindel Classroom teacher

About our ratings and privacy evaluation.

Teacher Reviews

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App has full functionality for native English speakers, limited offerings for ESL students.

Denise C.
Carson Elementary School
San Diego, CA

4

May 9, 2013

Language
L.3: Knowledge of Language
L.3.3	Use knowledge of language and its conventions when writing, speaking, reading, or listening.
L.4: Knowledge of Language
L.4.3	Use knowledge of language and its conventions when writing, speaking, reading, or listening.
L.5: Knowledge of Language
L.5.3	Use knowledge of language and its conventions when writing, speaking, reading, or listening.
L.6: Conventions of Standard English
L.6.2	Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.
Knowledge of Language
L.6.3	Use knowledge of language and its conventions when writing, speaking, reading, or listening.
Vocabulary Acquisition and Use
L.6.4	Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grade 6 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies.

L.6.5	Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.

L.6.6	Acquire and use accurately grade-appropriate general academic and domain-specific words and phrases; gather vocabulary knowledge when considering a word or phrase important to comprehension or expression.
Vocabulary Acquisition and Use
L.7.4	Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grade 7 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies.

L.7.5	Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.

L.7.6	Acquire and use accurately grade-appropriate general academic and domain-specific words and phrases; gather vocabulary knowledge when considering a word or phrase important to comprehension or expression.
L.8: Vocabulary Acquisition and Use
L.8.4	Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words or phrases based on grade 8 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies.

L.8.5	Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.

L.8.6	Acquire and use accurately grade-appropriate general academic and domain-specific words and phrases; gather vocabulary knowledge when considering a word or phrase important to comprehension or expression.
Vocabulary Acquisition and Use
L.9-10.4	Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grades 9–10 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies.

L.9-10.5	Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.

L.9-10.6	Acquire and use accurately general academic and domain-specific words and phrases, sufficient for reading, writing, speaking, and listening at the college and career readiness level; demonstrate independence in gathering vocabulary knowledge when considering a word or phrase important to comprehension or expression.
L.11-12: Vocabulary Acquisition and Use
L.11-12.4	Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grades 11–12 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies.

L.11-12.5	Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.

L.11-12.6	Acquire and use accurately general academic and domain-specific words and phrases, sufficient for reading, writing, speaking, and listening at the college and career readiness level; demonstrate independence in gathering vocabulary knowledge when considering a word or phrase important to comprehension or expression.
Reading History/Social Studies Reading Informational RI.11-12 Reading Literature Writing
W.6: Text Types and Purposes
W.6.2d	Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to inform about or explain the topic.
Research to Build and Present Knowledge W.8
W.9-10: Text Types and Purposes
W.9-10.2d	Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to manage the complexity of the topic.

W.11-12.2d	Use precise language, domain-specific vocabulary, and techniques such as metaphor, simile, and analogy to manage the complexity of the topic.

W.11-12.9	Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.

WHST.6-8.8	Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, using search terms effectively; assess the credibility and accuracy of each source; and quote or paraphrase the data and conclusions of others while avoiding plagiarism and following a standard format for citation.

The Free Dictionary by Farlex

Vast word reference features tons of content and word games

Subjects and Skills: The Free Dictionary by Farlex

Lesson & Activity Ideas

Tool Overview

Learning Value

Rating Details

Overall Rating

Engagement Is the product stimulating, entertaining, and engrossing? Will kids want to return?

Pedagogy Is learning content seamlessly baked-in, and do kids build conceptual understanding? Is the product adaptable and empowering? Will skills transfer?

Support Does the product take into account learners of varying abilities, skill levels, and learning styles? Does it address both struggling and advanced students?

Key Standards Supported

Language

Reading History/Social Studies Reading Informational RI.11-12 Reading Literature Writing

Research to Build and Present Knowledge W.8

Teacher Reviews

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