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March 3, 2014

Term.ly – Improving the Digital Dictionary

ss-term.ly
Dictionaries have undergone a radical transformation in the last decade, as most people switched away from printed books and started using online reference sites instead. However, the majority of online dictionary and thesaurus apps simply reproduced content without adding anything new to the equation. Term.ly is an improved digital dictionary and thesaurus website designed specifically with writers, students, and educators in mind.

When you use Term.ly, you can cut down on the time you spend manually searching for the definitions to words on basic reference websites. Drag Term.ly’s bookmarklet tool to your browser’s bookmark bar. The next time you stumble across an unknown word in an article, highlight the word and click the bookmarklet. Term.ly will open up a new tab that includes the definition of the word you selected, along with a list of synonyms and related terms. Find terms that are more or less specific than the word you looked up, and share what you’ve learned on Facebook, Twitter, or email using Term.ly’s quick links.

For people who’d prefer searching for words manually, Term.ly has made it incredibly easy. Just type term.ly/word into the address bar of your browser, and the definition will immediately appear. Although most people will use Term.ly without ever officially signing up for the service, the app does offer optional free accounts for people who’d like to track certain terms or keep a log of their browsing histories.

Practical Uses:

  • Quickly find the definition for “quadrantanopia”
  • Search for synonyms to words used frequently in your writing
  • Get help making your way through a particularly dense news article
  • Track which words you look up most frequently

Insider Tips:

  • term.ly is an online companion for an iPad/iPhone app called Terminology
  • Use the bookmarklet tool to quickly find the definition to any word
  • Most of Term.ly’s data is based on WordNet’s database of English, developed at Princeton University

What we liked:

  • Using the bookmarklet tool, people don’t have to re-type the words they’re looking up
  • Term.ly offers a list of more or less specific terms for most words
  • Term.ly is both a dictionary and a thesaurus
  • Users have the option to find words via a bookmarklet took or shortened URLs

What we didn’t like:

  • Nothing

Alternatives:

Company Info:

  • Launched: July 2011
  • Privately Held
  • Headquarters: Fort Worth, Texas
  • Founded by: Agile Tortoise, Inc.
  • Web site: http://term.ly

Costs:

  • Free

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