Features
Hot Key Word Lookup: Definitions are only a key press away. The UTD will work with virtually any program. To look up a word, all you have to do is highlight it in your current application (i.e. email, word processing, Internet), press the F11 key and almost instantly you have the definition of the word being read to you. You can setup the UTD so that it automatically reads a definition to you. You now have access to a dictionary that does not require you to stop what you are doing just to go elsewhere to lookup the meaning / synonyms / antonyms of a word. This works great while surfing the Internet. Just highlight the word and press the F11 key. It is that simple.
250,000 Words
The UTD comes with a standard, unabridged dictionary that contains over 250,000 words. When a word definition is provided, it is always accompanied by a sentence using the word in context for each sense / meaning of the word. It even shows you the form of the word (i.e. noun, verb, adjective, etc.). The definitions are clearly written so that they can be understood by all age groups.
Reading
The UTD will read the definitions to you so that you can hear the meaning of a word, as well as, how to use it in a sentence. It can also highlight the word on the screen as it reads. Both the “synonym” list and the “word prediction” list speak, so all you need to do is click on a word and it will be read to you.
Spelling
Have you ever tried to look up a word, but can’t find it because you have misspelled it? The UTD takes care of that for you. If you misspell a word, the UTD will “predict” the word you are trying to spell and present you with a list of potential matches to the word you are looking for. Once you “select” the one you want from the list of possible matches, the UTD will read the word you have selected to you, so you can be sure that that indeed is the word you want and the UTD will then retrieve and display the definition to you.
Power Search
If you do not know how to spell a word, but know part of the word, you can do a “power search”. A “power search” will provide a list of all the words that contain that sequence of letters. Listen to the list and when you hear the one you want, simply click on it to select and hear it read to you.
Thesaurus
Until now, dictionaries and thesauruses have almost always been separate books / documents. Not with the UTD. The UTD has a built-in thesaurus and will automatically look up alternative words “synonyms” and "antonyms" every time you search a word. If you want to hear a definition of a synonym, just double-click it.
Zoom
In order to squeeze the maximum number of words into a dictionary, many publishers often print dictionaries using smaller fonts than a person would typically find in a newspaper, magazine or book. The UTD can be made into a large print dictionary without any reduction of its total contents. The “zoom” feature allows you to enlarge the print up to 400% of its original size to meet your online viewing needs…all this while NOT reducing the number of words in the UTD.
Word History
The UTD keeps a current “word session history”. Have you ever used a dictionary and you see a definition and it tells you to look up another word, or it gives you a definition that requires you to look up more words to understand that definition? The UTD keeps a history of all the words you look up in a particular online session so that you can easily go back to the previous word just by clicking on the “Back” button. It is just like using a web browser.
Accessibility
The UTD is designed to work with screen readers and screen magnifiers. The voice can be “turned off” so that it will not interfere with a screen reader voice. After all, if you already have a screen reader you do not need another program that talks. The UTD can also be used with just simple keyboard commands and does not require the use of a mouse.
Interlinking Technology
The UTD is more than just a dictionary. With the UTD, you do not need to know the exact spelling of a word. Now you can look up a word even if you are not sure of the word your are looking for. Getting a definition of the word is great, but being able to easily find a word that you don’t know is even better. Have you ever had a word at the tip of your tongue, but couldn't think of the precise word? This is a fairly common occurrence for many individuals. They know the concept, but the exact word escapes them. They know what it is and will know it when they see it or hear it, but they just need help locating it.
To enable us to achieve these powerful searching algorithms, all of the words in the UTD are “interlinked” in a myriad of ways to allow cross-referencing on a variety of relational levels, so that it is easy to find a word just by knowing a concept or related idea. A traditional dictionary would NEVER help you with this. But with the UTD, you can find something just knowing a concept or idea and using the UTD with its INTERLINK technology to navigate through word relationships until you find the exact word you are looking for.
For example, I want to look up a type of “cloud”, but I can’t think of the name of that type of cloud. I know what the cloud looks like, the shape, the color, etc, but I still only know that it is a cloud. Just enter the word “cloud” and it will give you not only the definition of a cloud, but it will also list all the different “types of” clouds. In another example, you can start by looking up “sky”; you can view all the parts of the sky such as “rainbow” and “clouds”. You can then select “clouds” and then view the types of clouds. Using this approach, you can find a definition of an acorn just by looking up the word “tree.”
Just use your arrow keys to navigate through the list of types and listen to the pronunciation of the word describing the cloud that you want. Once you hear the word you’re looking for, press the ENTER key to look up the definition of that cloud to verify that this is indeed the type of cloud you were thinking about.