Ultralingua 7.0.1

Mac OS X's Dictionary program is a handy tool; in Leopard, it lets you quickly search the New Oxford American Dictionary, Apple Dictionary, Oxford American Writer's Thesaurus, and Wikipedia for definitions and information about words and topics. But if you're learning a language, or if you're a fan of word puzzles and games, Ultralingua's Ultralingua 7.0.1 (US$35; additional dictionary sets US$35 each, or $25 each for three or more) is a compelling alternative.

Before I cover Ultralingua's features, it's worth noting how the program is sold. When you first buy Ultralingua, you choose a dictionary; this gets you the program and the chosen dictionary. You can later purchase additional dictionaries and access them from within the same program window. The list of available dictionaries includes an English dictionary and thesaurus, a French dictionary and thesaurus, a French-English medical dictionary, and 13 different translation dictionaries. I tested a "Euro Pack" that included the English Dictionary & Thesaurus as well as French-English, Spanish-English, German-English, Italian-English, and Portuguese-English translation dictionaries.

Dictionary: Like OS X's Dictionary program, you simply begin typing a word, or a fragment of a word, in the search field and Ultralingua provides a live-updated list of matches. You can even search for any form of a word. However, unlike the OS X version, Ultralingua's list also includes related or similar words, rather than just matching ones--useful if you're unsure of the exact spelling of a word, or if you're just learning a language and you mistakenly type a word that's spelled similarly to the one you really want. (If you type in a word that doesn't exist and has no obvious similarities, Ultralingua offers a few logical alternatives.) Clicking on any word that appears in the definition list will immediately take you to the entry for that word.

If you have another language dictionary installed, you also use the Dictionary module for basic word translations. Choose the other dictionary from the dictionary pop-up menu (which reads English Dictionary in the screenshot above) and then type the word you want to translate; you'll see the exact translation, as well as a long list of similar words and phrases that include the word.

Another unique feature of Ultralingua's Dictionary module is that you can easily add your own words to any dictionary. Just click on the plus (+) button, enter your word and definition, and then, from the pop-up menu, choose the part of speech or type of word. (To edit or delete a custom definition, you search for it and then click on the buttons for editing and deleting that appear next to the word in the results listing.)

If you're curious where Ultralingua's dictionaries come from, the developer states that they're "compiled by a team of language professionals, including linguists, university professors, and professional translators."

Conjugations: For those just learning English or another language, the Conjugations tool can be very useful. Type in a verb and Ultralingua conjugates it for you; choose the tense from the pop-up menu on the right to view the conjugation for that tense. This feature works for any language dictionary you've purchased, making it also useful for English speakers learning another language.

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