Online Dictionaries  

How to use your online dictionary collection

1. Select the dictionary or dictionaries you want to use, or leave the tick boxes blank to bring up results from all three dictionaries.
2. Type your word and click on the SEARCH button next to the search box, or press the ENTER key. If the word you have typed is a headword in one or more of these dictionaries, clicking SEARCH or pressing the ENTER key will bring up the complete entry/entries belonging to those headwords.
3. If you are not sure how to spell a word, you can use wildcards (_ and/or %) to help you. Use _ to replace a single letter and % to replace more than one letter. For example: Typing sep_r_te will bring up all the entries for separate. Typing g%rdian will bring up the complete entry for guardian. Typing %ific will fetch all the headwords ending on the letters -ific, e.g. horrific, scientific, specific.
4. To help build your vocabulary in both English and Afrikaans, words related to the English or Afrikaans word you’re looking for will appear in the related-words box below the main entries. For example: Below the main entries for the English search word sad, you’ll find related English words such as crestfallen, depressed, devastated, dispirited, doleful, downcast, dreary, gloomy, heartbreaking, plaintive; as well as related Afrikaans words such as bedruk, hartseer, neerslagtig, terneergedruk, treurig. Click on any of these words to bring up the complete entry. Your search word will be highlighted where it appears in the text.
5. You can also do a full text search to look for word combinations and phrases. To do this, type the word combination or phrase you are looking for in inverted commas, for example “ice cream”, “in connection with”. Entries in which your word combination or phrase appears, will open up with the word combination or phrase highlighted in the text.
6. To find entries in which all your search words and/or phrases appear, separate two or more search words or phrases with & (remember to enclose word combinations and phrases in inverted commas).
7. To find entries in which any one of your search words and/or phrases appear, separate two or more search words or phrases with | (remember to enclose word combinations and phrases in inverted commas).
8. You can hear the correct (British) pronunciation of all the English headwords in the  Dictionary by clicking on the speaker icon next to headword. Repeat the word to practice your own pronunciation.
9. You can also listen to various sounds by clicking on the second speaker that appears next to some of the pronunciation speaker icons, for example at growl and whine.