In looking for an online educational dictionary for kids I have found Wordsmyth to be exceptional and free.
Whenever I need to look up the spelling of a word, I use Dictionary.com. However, Dictionary.com has a lot of extraneous material on the results page which makes it difficult at times to find what I'm looking for. I can wade through the extras, but it would be nice if there were a trimmed down version for kids.
That's where Wordsmyth comes in. Not only is Wordsmyth a great dictionary for kids, but parents can use it as a vocabulary learning tool by creating glossaries and quizzes.
Here's what Wordsmyth offers:
- Three levels of dictionaries, beginners, children's or advanced.
- Wordsmyth widget for browser bar. You can add a search bar to your browser so your child can look up words without having to go to the Wordsmyth site itself.
- Anagram and Crossword Solver
- Glossary Maker
- Quiz Maker, including fill-in-the-blank, matching, and multiple choice.
You can sign up for a free account at Wordsmyth so you can save your printable glossaries and quizzes as well as customize your preferences for dictionary level, entry presentation style, etc.
Wow! I was really impressed with the Wordsmyth website. I like the quiz maker. Thanks for telling us about the site.
Yep – this is a great tool. It's just what I was looking for for my son to develop his vocabulary. Wonderful.
The dictionary seems to be American-English, but has references to British-English.