The IT Nerd

Oxford University Press is releasing three new dictionary apps specifically developed for English learners in key global regions, with one of the apps becoming available for the first time ever and the other two being re-released.

The apps, the Diccionario Oxford Pocket (for Spanish-speaking learners of English), the Dicionário Oxford Escolar (for Brazilian-learners of English), and the Oxford Klausur-Wörterbuch (for German-speaking learners of English) will provide students and teachers with all the benefits of a localised English language resource, along with some of the most effective enhancements that mobile technology can offer.

Each app offers users the chance to record and improve their own English speaking skills, with thousands of pre-recorded model pronunciations, and the highly-prized Oxford 3000 feature which shows the most important English words for learners selected by experts. The Klausur-Wörterbuch is particularly notable in this case for being the first ever Oxford dictionary mobile app for German-speaking learners of English.

With this news, Oxford adds to its collection of dictionary resources for English learners and teachers. The new app joins a list already helping Arabic and Italian speaking learners of English, along with the previous versions of the Spanish and Brazilian-Portuguese dictionaries. The addition also reflects a rapidly growing appetite internationally for mobile-ready educational resources.

The apps were developed with Oxford University Press’ long-term collaborators, Paragon Software. They were released on the 31st of January 2018 and are available on iOS and Android.

Availability: Oxford dictionaries are available via in-app purchase within Oxford Learner’s Dictionaries: Bilingual editions app for 19,99 GBP (21,99 EUR) in the App Store and for 16,66 GBP (22,99 EUR) in Google Play. The apps come with a free preview and can be tested for free.

Paragon Software Group and Oxford’s University Press announce the world’s 1st Oxford dictionary with iWatch functionality! Only a century ago, Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary was available as a paper edition, later on — as a smartphone and tablet app, and now you have English definitions right up your sleeves! Do you know what does the word “zhoosh” mean? The new 9th edition has been updated with 900 latest definitions!  The latest update includes a new design (for quicker and easier navigation) and new functionality (such as ‘Practise your Pronunciation’ which enables learners to record their own voice, Split View, Spotlight and Slide Over.) The 9th edition is also the first OUP app with iWatch functionality. Learners can look up words with voice recognition, open entries, listen to pronunciations, and check the Word of the Day.

You can try out 100 entries from the dictionary for free by downloading the free sample app from the App store. In-app purchase is required to activate the full A-Z. Existing users of the OALD app can upgrade for free (if they purchased the app after the last update in June 2015) or at a discount (if they purchased it before June 2015).

On January 18th, it’s World Thesaurus Day! English has thousands of synonyms, but no two words have exactly the same meaning. That makes finding the right word to say what you really mean challenging for learners of the language. It’s probably one of the reasons why the same words – like nice and interesting – get used again and again.

With the help of the Oxford Learner’s Thesaurus, learners of English will understand the differences between similar words in written and spoken English, enabling them to enrich their vocabulary and find the right words to say exactly what they mean.

Celebrate World Thesaurus Day by downloading 100 entries from the Oxford Learner’s Thesaurus for free before buying the full dictionary with 17,000 synonyms and opposites as an in-app purchase. The full app is available at up to 40% off on 18 January only.

The full Oxford Learner’s Thesaurus app includes:

• Clear explanations of over 17,000 synonyms and opposites.
• Usage notes to identify the exact difference between similar words.
• Guidance on which words are used most frequently.
• Help with choosing the right words for the context: formal/informal, written/spoken, approving/disapproving.
• Hear the words and their synonyms spoken by real British and American voices.
• 30 useful topic word lists which users can add to or edit.
• Create and edit your own lists of favourite words.
• Find the word you’re looking for easily, with the alphabetical index.
• With the ‘Did you mean…?’ function and wildcard search users can find a word even if they don’t know the spelling.
• Use ‘History’ to view the last 100 looked up words.

The free download will give you 100 sample entries from the dictionary. An in-app purchase is required to activate the full dictionary. It is available in iOS and Android versions.