The dictionary and thesaurus entries contain various elements. These examples are derived from the AHD Dictionary.

1.    Headword                          

The selected word or a derivative of the selected word.

Compound Headword

A headword made up of two smaller words.

2.    Homonyms

Two or more words which are spelled the same but have different meanings.

3.    Parts of Speech

Categories of words that describe their particular function, e.g. nouns, verbs, adjectives.

4.    Definitions

If the headword has more than one definition for a particular part of speech, each definition is numbered, with the most common definition appearing first.

5.    Idioms

Expressions or phrases, usually composed of a sequence of words. They can be identified:

• Automatically within a sentence (scanned/typed).
• By scrolling through the translation of the first word of the sequence.

6.    Labels

Labels describe a specific field in which the headword is used, e.g. music. Used in the AHD Dictionary only.

7.    Phonetics

The phonetic transcription of the headword. This can be seen when the AHD Dictionary and the thesaurus are set to expanded view.

8.     and  indicators Indicate that a thesaurus entry is available for the current headword in the AHD Dictionary. Pressing  twice from the expanded view and once from the condensed view will access the thesaurus entry. 

9.     and  indicators Indicate that you are in the thesaurus. Pressing  twice from the expanded view and once from the condensed view will access the AHD Dictionary definition.

Additional Elements from  the  Expanded View of the  AHD Dictionary

1.    Alternative Spelling of Headwords (variants) If the headword can be spelled in more than one way, the alternative spelling is shown beside the headword.

2.    Inflected Forms and their Syllables

An inflected form is created by adding letters to the base form of a word to create different usages. The inflected forms of the headword appear below the definitions. They appear in bold, with syllabic division shown using dots or stress marks.

3.    Sample Sentences

An example demonstrating the use of the headword within a sentence.

4.    Word  History

Extra information regarding the historical origin of a headword.

5.    Usage Notes

Information on how or where the headword can or cannot be used.

6.    Synonyms

The dictionary entry may contain synonyms for the headword.