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WordSource - Wikipeida haters just keep walking
April 27, 2007

Let's face it, even though we try to model good reading practices and work at convincing students to put down their book and go grab a dictionary when they encounter a word they don't know, it probably doesn't happen all that often. My willingness to look up a word, and my dictionary usage in general increased by leaps and bounds after I invested in PocketLingo for my Palm handheld computer. Unfortunately, that was a few years ago when there was actual development taking place for Palm handheld computers - I am a bit concerned that the PocketLingo site is highlighting a "limited time offer" that expired in September of last year and their recent news is stuck back in July of last year.

Today, however, there is a new tool that can provide rapid access to definitions for the online crowd. WordSource, cleverly addressed at http://word.sc, provides search-free access to words through the addition of the word to the URL. http://word.sc/blog for example, takes you right to the definition for blog while http://word.sc/antiestablishmentarianism, well...maybe you just wanted some typing practice.

So...free dictionary, easy access, no-searching - what's the catch? The good news is there isn't even advertising on the site, the bad news (for some) is this is due to the "active community of dictionary developers." To translate, WordSource is a social dictionary like Wikipedia is a social encyclopedia. Oh horrors, you say. You mean anyone can submit a word and a definition? Yes, WordSource works exactly like the Oxford English Dictionary used to work in that interested users of the dictionary submit words and definitions which are approved by an editorial staff.

Posted by Chris Harris on April 27, 2007 | Comments (0)