Google Updates the Dictionary OneBox

Google updated the interface of the Dictionary OneBox and added synonyms. They were already available if you clicked "more info" to see the entire list of definitions, but synonyms are useful enough to be displayed in the OneBox.


Another change is that the OneBox includes more definitions for each part of speech:


To trigger the Dictionary OneBox, search for [define word] or [word definition]. In some cases, Google shows the OneBox even if you don't include "define" or "definition". For example, if you search for [obnubilate], Google will show the definitions because it's likely that they're useful for many people.

{ Thanks, Bora and Venkat. }

Audio Pronunciation in Google Search

Google added a new feature to the dictionary OneBox: audio pronunciation. This feature was available if you clicked "More" to read all the definitions, but now it's more accessible.





Google uses Flash to play the audio file, so the feature doesn't work if you disable Flash. It's interesting that Google shows the audio icon if you use an iPad, even though the device doesn't let you install the Flash plugin. The HTML5 audio tag is a better option for iOS devices and for the browsers that support it.

No More Standalone Google Dictionary

Google Dictionary is no longer available as a standalone service at google.com/dictionary. You can still find it in Google Web Search and Google Translate. For example, you can search for [define keyword] and click "more" or search for [keyword] and click "Dictionary" in the search options sidebar.


{ Thanks, Arpit. }

Google's Define Operator, No Longer Useful

Last month, Google added a new search options in the sidebar: dictionary. It's a new interface for Google Dictionary that combines definitions from a reputable dictionary with definitions from the Web, usage examples and other useful information.

At the same time, some users reported that Google's define: operator no longer works. The operator was useful to find definitions obtained from Web pages, so you could type [define:iffy] and find a list of definitions. Now the operator is no longer broken, but it only shows the definition from Google Dictionary and links to the dictionary page. You could type [define iffy] and get similar results.


Maybe Google should send users to the dictionary page when they use the define: operator. It's an advanced feature that's not used by many people, but it's very useful.

Here's how it looked:


{ Thanks, Henry. }

Google Tests a Search Option for Definitions

Google experiments with a search option that lets you find the definition of a word without using the define: operator or adding "definition" to the query. Selecting the "dictionary" option from the sidebar doesn't restrict the results to sites like Dictionary.com and Answers.com, but shows the information that's available in Google Dictionary. To be fair, Google includes a section called "web definitions" that shows definitions from Wikipedia, WordNet and from different glossaries.


This feature is not yet available to everyone, but you can always install extensions like Google Dictionary for Chrome, Google Dictionary and Google Translate for Firefox or add Google Dictionary to your browser's search engines.