6 of the Best Free Linux Dictionary Tools

One category of computer software which often receives little attention is the world of the dictionary. Whilst this type of utility might not seem particularly interesting, dictionary software is an important tool for writers and students. If you are learning a new language or want to check the meaning of a word or phrase, a good dictionary tool will be very useful.

Many people use a traditional dictionary primarily for checking the spelling of a word. However, lots of computer software includes built-in spelling checking, often on-the-fly. The tools featured in this article offer far more functionality than mere spell-checking. Here you will find software that can actually transform the way that you write.

The Linux operating system offers an impressive range of versatile dictionary tools which can look up words and phrases for different languages in multiple dictionary file formats, as well as utilising online sites such as Wikipedia and Wikitionary.

To provide an insight into the open source software that is available, we have compiled a list of 6 of our favorite dictionary tools. Hopefully, there will be something of interest here for anyone who needs a feature-rich dictionary. We give our highest recommendation to GoldenDict and Purple.

So, let's explore the 6 dictionary tools at hand. For each application we have compiled its own portal page, a full description with an in-depth analysis of its features, screenshots, together with links to relevant resources and reviews.

Dictionary Tools
GoldenDict	Feature-rich tool offering translations of words and phrases for different languages
Purple	Impressive set of features
Artha	Handy off-line thesaurus based on WordNet
dict	Client for the Dictionary Server Protocol (DICT)
StarDict	Powerful features such as Glob-style pattern matching and Scan selection word
JaLingo	Simple to use cross-platform dictionary tool