Comparison of Dictionaries

Comparing several online dictionaries

There are quite a few online dictionaries out there. Some of the most notorious are Oxford Dictionaries, Merriam-Webster and WordReference. Let's compare them! I've looked up the word Ecology in all of them:

Oxford Dictionaries: this dictionary allows you to select your language, Apart from the definition, it gives you examples of sentences, synonyms, and also the etymology and pronunciation. It also gives you the option of thesaurus. Definition of ecology:

1. The branch of biology that deals with the relations of organisms to one another and to their physical surroundings.

https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/ecology

Merriam-Webster: this dictionary gives you the definition, an option for a thesaurus, examples of usage of the word in recent web publications, the etymology, the date of the first known use of the word and also links to the definition of closely related words. It also gives you the various derivations of the word and their respective pronunciations. Most importantly, it gives you a link to an alternative use of the word in different contexts, and it even gives you alternative definitions, such as the medical definitions and for kids. Ecology:

1. a branch of science concerned with the interrelationship of organisms and their environments.
2. the totality or pattern of relations between organisms and their environment.
3. Human Ecology
4. Environment, Climate
5. also: an often delicate or intricate system or complex (example: "the ecology of language")

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ecology

WordReference: this dictionary mainly focuses on translations. It does have definitions, but those are much shorter and more incomplete than those of the other two dictionaries, and they focus more on example sentences in order to help you understand the meaning. The main purpose of this dictionary is to give translations from one language to another based on the context. Another feature of this dictionary is that it has a forum where people discuss the correct translation of a word based on its context. Ecology:

1. uncountable (science of the environment) ecología
2. untountable (concern for environment) ecología

http://www.wordreference.com/es/translation.asp?tranword=Ecology

As for my personal preferences, I use the dictionary that suits me most depending on my goals. If I want a monolingual definition of a word, I use Merriam-Webster. For this use, I prefer Merriam-Webster over Oxford most of the time, because from personal experience I've found that M-W tends to have more numerous definitions, and these are more detailed. If however, I want a precise translation of a word from one language to another, WordReference is the way to go. It allows you to find a translation for your word based on the context it's being used in, where you see different examples of sentences of the various uses that the word has. This allows you to find the exact translation that suits you most.

The Learner's Dictionary: this dictionary gives you definitions, examples of the use of each definition, several derivations of the word with an example for each one. All these are accompanied by their respective pronunciations. It's a good first choice dictionary for whenever you find a new word. Let's see our usual example with Ecology:

1. a science that deals with the relationships between groups of living things and their environments.
• She studies plant/marine ecology.
2. the relationships between a group of living things and their environment — usually singular.
• the behaviour and ecology of the great white shark
• the fragile ecology of the desert = the fragile desert ecology

• ecological
• the ecological consequences of water pollution
• ecological awareness
• ecologically
• ecologically sound technologies
• an ecologically stable environment
• ecologist

http://www.learnersdictionary.com/definition/Ecology

Games and quizzes

Online dictionaries often have games and quizzes where people can test their knowledge of the English language while (hopefully) having fun at the same time. Here's an example of such quiz from Merriam-Webster:

https://www.merriam-webster.com/word-games/vices-and-virtues

This is a Christmas-themed quiz where you test your knowledge for synonyms of the words "nice" and "naughty". So, have you been good or bad this year?