Here's a list of some of my favourite dictionaries online (five to be precise).
  1. etymonline.com - great dictionary for finding out where certain words come from.  I'm always checking it as I tend to think about those kind of sad things!
  2. myetymology.com - similar to etymonline but may have a few more words I find.  The descriptions are not as full though and it's laid out more like a normal dictionary entry.
  3. wordreference.com - very useful for translating words quickly.  It has a great feature which you can use to quickly select between languages if you're not sure what language a word comes from.
  4. wordweb.info  - don't know how I found this one.  I think I was looking to download a dictionary in the days before I had broadband so I downloaded this one and it's very good.  It gives you words close in spelling/synonyms/types or you can look it up online as well
  5. yourdictionary.com  - I've used the forum of this site more than the actual dictionary though the dictionary does look good too.  You can find discussions on the forum about lot of anorak type English language stuff so don't worry.
  6. I know I said 5 but this one deserves an honourable mention:  onelook.com  - this gives you the chance to look up a word in a number of different types of dictionaries which is very beneficial and also can lead you to more information than you bargained for.

So there you have it.  That's my list of Top Five Dictionaries online (plus one extra just in case).  Hope these help you whatever you might be looking up.  
Take care,  


Wesley
Real English Online
www.realenglishonline.com
http://realenglish0nline.blogspot.com/
 
First Post! 05/11/2009
 

Hi there.  As you'll have gathered from this website, my name is Wesley and I'm interested in languages and teaching English.  
Cultural Connection
If you want to learn English I believe that you need some connection to the culture of an English-speaking country.  In my case that would be Ireland.  That's part of the reason behind the Learn on Location option which enables you to learn English in Ireland.  

Learning in the country and spending time with Native-speakers of your target language can give you an understanding of the way English-speakers see the world.  If you can develop a love of some of the things they love it can give you the desire to keep on persevering through the difficulties of the learning process. 


Enjoy Learning English
Enjoying the language learning process is probably the key to being successful in it.  To learn English online makes it easier because:
1. You can learn at your own speed
2. You don't feel the pressure of learning alongside other students as your teacher is the only one who can hear you unless you choose otherwise
3. You can quickly access the materials your teacher posts for you and see exactly what he sees.  This eliminates the photocopy problem of evening classes
4. You can have study aids open on your PC while your class is on e.g an online dictionary