What is a dictionary?

A dictionary is a list of words or phrases and their definitions arranged in alphabetical order.

In an English dictionary you'll find words beginning with ‘a’ at the front and ‘z’ at the back.

There are lots of words in the English language which begin with 'a', so it's not just the first letter that is important.

Words are organised alphabetically according to the following letters in a word too.

For example, 'ant’ will come after ‘ankle’.

The first two letters of these words are the same, but the third letters are different. The letter ‘t’ comes after ‘k’ in the alphabet, so you find 'ankle' before 'ant' in the dictionary.

Are you struggling to find out what a word means? Learn how to use a dictionary to help!

Choose three of the following words and then look them up in a dictionary or online dictionary.

• neighbour
• sleigh
• obey
• complain
• unearth
• prey

For each word you need to write down:

1. The word (eg. happy)
2. The word type (eg. adjective)
3. A definition of the word (eg. delighted, pleased or glad)
4. An example of the word used in a sentence (eg. I was so happy to see my best friend.)

Complete the following tasks questions using a dictionary or an online dictionary.

For each task, write the word down correctly and then write out what the word means.

1. Find a word the begins with re-.

2. Find a word that begins with dis-.

3. Find a seven letter word that begins with mis-.

4. Find an adjective that begins with un-.