Word Processors, Rhyming Dictionaries, & Thesauruses

There are many online options for some of the writer or poet’s most basic tools- the word processor, dictionary and rhyming dictionary, and thesaurus.

Here’s information about a few of these tools.

Word Processors
Most computer users will be familiar with MS Word, a common word processor with many useful features. What some of us may not know is that recent updates of MS Word (probably editions from 2010 and later) have built-in synonym and dictionary features. Some of the older versions have a define feature, but it is called “Look Up”. It is likely the most feature-rich of the word processors I know of, but it is also a paid software.

• Getting Started with MS Word: https://www.gcflearnfree.org/word2016/getting-started-with-word/1/

• Here is a video tutorial on how to use the Synonym feature: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yvYVEeRrvfc

• Here’s a tutorial on using the Dictionary/Define feature: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5qxt6RaV0ZI

One downfall of MS Word is that it does not automatically save your work. I can not count the number of times I have lost work irreversibly in the past when MS Word was my only option. I have spent more than my fair share of time retyping entire essays from scratch at the last minute. If you need help saving your work on MS Word, check out this tutorial: https://support.office.com/en-us/article/Save-a-document-in-Word-B7F55D8...

On the other hand, most online word processors have the benefit of being free (or just costing $1 - $2 USD) and automatically saving (the only downfall to that is you must be connected to the Internet for the auto-save feature to function, so any time you are out and about working on your tablet, laptop, or smartphone without a stable Internet/WiFi/mobile data connection, you won’t be able to save).
The most common free online word processor is Google Drive/Docs. It has somewhat less features overall compared to MS Word, but is a powerful tool for those who might otherwise obsessively click the Save button on MS Word! The great thing about this online word processor is that it is connected to your GMail account, so you can access it anywhere from any computer or device just by logging into your GMail account. There is also a Desktop/’Google Drive for Windows” feature which allows you to download Google Drive for your personal computer and syncs your documents for offline access.

• Tutorial on getting started with Google Drive: https://www.gcflearnfree.org/print/googledriveanddocs/getting-started-wi...

Google Drive/Docs also has a Define feature, which you access by right-clicking on the word you want to define and then select “Define ----” where those dashes will be replaced by the word you chose (the same as the right-click feature in MS Word).
Google Drive does not have a Synonym feature, but it does have an “Explore” feature. By right-clicking on a word and selecting “Explore ---”, you will bring up a pane that gives you web, image, and Google Drive search results of that word. You can do the same thing with an entire phrase by selecting/highlighting the phrase then right-clicking (learn how to select text in the above Copy and Paste tutorial).

• More information about free online word processors: https://www.thebalance.com/free-online-word-processors-1356661

For those writers who need to write on the go with a tablet or smartphone, this list suggests the top 10 apps (applications) for writing on these mobile devices (including telling which are free or not): https://gadgets.ndtv.com/apps/features/10-best-writing-apps-for-ios-and-...
If these particular apps are not your style, a simple/free notepad app or one of these note-taking apps may be better: http://www.gadgetmatch.com/best-note-taking-apps-phone-android-ios/
For those writers who want a simplified, clean, focused, and uncluttered writing/typing experience with less bells and whistles (maybe even something akin to old typewriters) try these: http://fieldguide.gizmodo.com/9-minimal-word-processor-apps-for-distract... or Ywriter4: http://www.spacejock.com/yWriter4.html

Online Dictionaries
The online/digital options for online dictionaries and rhyming dictionaries are just as plentiful, if not more plentiful, than word processes (the above links only share some of the available ones). Google can define words for you without using an additional dictionary by simply searching the word with “define” such as “define alliteration” or “alliteration define” as the search terms.

• How to use Google: https://support.google.com/websearch/answer/134479?hl=en

If you want an actual dictionary, Dictionary.com and Merriam Webster are stand-bys which also feature a thesaurus:

• http://www.dictionary.com/ (one benefit Dictionary.com has over Merriam Webster is that it shows the stresses of the syllables, which is useful for writing poetry with meter - the stressed syllable(s) are in bold)
• https://www.merriam-webster.com/

If you want the experience of using the paid online dictionary which is the standard for academic writing, use the Oxford English Dictionary (Which your school or public library may already have a subscription to, if they do you can use it for free at their institution): http://www.oed.com/

English to Other Language Dictionaries

• German: https://dict.tu-chemnitz.de/
• Spanish: https://dictionary.cambridge.org/
• Many other languages: http://dictionary.reverso.net/ and http://reference.yourdictionary.com/languages.html
• Google Translate: https://translate.google.com/ (not always the best translations, but a useful starting point)

Rhyming Dictionaries
For an online rhyming dictionary, my go-to is RhymeZone. Rhymezone features a dictionary, rhyming dictionary, thesaurus, near rhymes, and many other features useful for poets like searching for specific phrases or searching for a usage of a word in Shakespeare. It has the added benefit of organizing the words it provides by syllable so that you can find the perfect word to fit a syllable count in your poetry.

• https://www.rhymezone.com/

For picking end, middle, double, or other types of rhymes, (and also learning about the many different types of rhyme) use Rhymer.

• https://www.rhymer.com/

To generate random words by part of speech or other parameters, try one of these generators (great writing prompt):

• https://www.randomlists.com/random-words
• https://randomwordgenerator.com/
• https://wordcounter.net/random-word-generator

Thesaurus

• http://www.thesaurus.com/ (divides synonyms by word usage/meaning if a word has multiple, added benefit of being able to filter synonyms by complexity, length, relevance, or formality)
• https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/ (divides synonyms by word usage/meaning if a word has multiple, has the added benefit of using the different meanings/usages in an example sentence)
• https://www.visualthesaurus.com/ (this one is cool because is uses visual mapping to demonstrate the similarity/closeness of words, although free searches are limited)

Grammar Help

• https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/grammar/grammar-a-z
• https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/section/1/5/
• https://www.ef.edu/english-resources/english-grammar/
• http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/education/grammar
• http://www.grammarbook.com/
• Ten Websites to Help You Improve Your Grammar: https://prowritingaid.com/art/111/10-Websites-to-Help-Improve-Your-Gramm...
• Breaking Grammar Rules in Poetry: https://www.writingforward.com/poetry-writing/breaking-grammar-rules-in-...
• Grammar for ESL Learners: http://esl.fis.edu/grammar/ and http://a4esl.org/q/h/grammar.html