As schools and business look to move their work towards a more electronic way of life, sometimes spelling and grammar can be pushed to the back of the checklist when submitting a piece of work. Going back ten years, every ofice or student would have access to a paperback dictionary but we now have to ask ourselves, what do we use now? Can we even find where it is now?
Whilst there are plenty of dictionary websites, none are quite so simple and fast as Definr, a Ruby-on-Rails powered website created by Christian von Kleist.
Looking up words using Definr is easy, results are suggested with an auto-complete feature so you can possibly find what you are looking for without having to type the complete word. Whilst users can search for words by visiting the main site, the most useful features are the four main tools that call on the power of the Ruby and MySQL framework:
1. Definr Firefox Search Extension
To install the extension all you have to do is click on the search box and select “Add Definr Dictionary Search”.
2. Definr Firefox Keyword
- Right-click in the Definr search box and select Add a Keyword for this Search…
- In the Name box, type Definr, or something that you will remember.
- In the Keyword box, type D and click the Add button
Now, just click in the address bar and type D hangover to search for "hangover" on Definr.
3. Use Ctrl+Enter
In Firefox’s address bar, type definr/hangover and press Ctrl+Enter to look up the word "hangover". Firefox will type the "http://" and ".com" parts for you.
4. The Definr Bookmarklet
Drag this link to your Firefox bookmark toolbar: Look up with Definr
If you need a light and fast dictionary search that can be embedeed within your browser with the minimum of fuss then Definr is the right tool for you.
