5 Word Search Websites for When You Just Can’t Find the Right One

Before the internet was widely popular, we were taught there were only two ways of finding words in the English language. You have the dictionary, an archive of all known words in the language and their meanings. There’s also the thesaurus, which lists words and their known synonyms, perfect for writers looking for more precise verbage.

Photo by Snapwire

Tech- and word-savvy people have since created a variety of websites curated and created to help writers and editors find the words they’re looking for. Here are just 5 of our favorites.

1. Merriam-Webster aka Old Reliable

The online version of Merriam Webster transfers its content digitally in the best way possible. The landing page features quizzes and a Word of the Day, as well as a search bar that lets you toggle between the dictionary and thesaurus. Each word has an audio pronunciation guide, example sentences, word history, and recent usage examples.

2. Word Hippo aka the Starter Pack

Sometimes, simplicity is best. Word Hippo is perhaps the most user-friendly and easiest to navigate among these options. Its landing page lets you choose the reason for searching a word before entering the word itself. Some options include “another word for,” “find conjugations,” and “rhymes with.”

3. OneLook aka Reverse Dictionary

Don’t you hate it when a word is at the tip of your tongue? OneLook dubs itself the reverse dictionary and with good reason! Instead of searching for meanings, OneLook is the go-to website for when you can’t find the word you’re looking for. It presents the 100 most relevant words to the meaning you look for and lets you filter it by part of speech.

4. Vocabulary.com aka the Learner’s Website

The way Vocabulary.com is structured makes it more of a website for people looking to expand their vocabulary and learn English. Word entries provide not only meaning, but also the context in which the word is used. It also gives you vocabulary lists that contain the word, examples of sources where the word is used (which you can filter even further) and a fill-in-the-blank example for better retention.

5. Scrabble Word Finder aka the Player’s Toolkit

A bit of a cheat, but even though Scrabble Dictionary was made for game support, it is also an invaluable source of word information. When you search for a word, the entry includes which games the word is valid in (Scrabble and beyond) and includes its meaning. Aside from that, the website also has different word lists, such as two-letter words, three-letter words, words that are all vowels, words without vowels, and so many more.

Our editors at themanuscripteditor.com are here to make sure that your word choices are spot on. Visit our website today to place your first order and get an 800-word sample on us!