The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English for the iPhone provides definitions for more than 64,000 of the most common English words. (The concise dictionary is a pared-down version of the full one), and can also play American English spoken examples for 20,000 of those words.
The app displays results as you type a word in the search box. When you see the one you're after, tap it to bring up the word's definition. As some words (or entries) can have multiple definitions, the program stores about 240,000 definitions. You don't need an Internet connection to bring up definitions, as they're all stored on the phone. If your word has a spoken example, you'll see a blue icon next to it in the search results. Tap the icon to hear the example. You can also tap an icon on the word's definition page. While the $25 cost is a little on the high side for an iPhone app, having a quick-reference dictionary always in your pocket could be a big help if you're a professional wordsmith or other frequent dictionary user. And the spoken word examples could prove particularly useful for those who are learning English as a second language.Note: The download link brings up the program's page in iTunes on your PC. Click the 'Get App' button on the page and then sync your iPhone to install the app.
--Erik Larkin
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