Use Google Voice Search As A Voice-Operated Dictionary

If you a hear a word in regular conversation that you don’t know, it can be hard to look it up if you don’t know how to spell it. Instead, just throw it at Google Voice Search to get an accurate definition.

Dictionary.com updated their mobile app to include voice search this week, but with an odd pay scheme: you only get 15 searches for free, after which you have to pay $US0.99 for batches of 300 searches. While I seriously doubt most of us will ever search for enough words to make this a burden on our wallets, it did make me realise that you can save $US0.99—and a spot on your home screen—by just using Google Voice Search on iPhone or Android.

We’ve already showed you how easy searching Google’s dictionary is: just type, for example, define erinaceous to get a straight-out-of-the-dictionary definition for “erinacious”. So, to search with your voice, just bring up Google Voice Actions on Android (or open the Google Mobile App on iPhone) and say, out loud, “define erinacious”. It’ll immediately take you to Google, with the web definitions being at the top of the search results. It’s pretty handy if you hear a word out loud and want to know its definition or spelling (though it isn’t exactly useful for words you see but don’t know how to say out loud).


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