American Heritage® Dictionary

Originally purchased the American Heritage Desk Dictionary, which is very nice. Then discovered the Fourth Edition. The AHD Fourth Edition has many more words than the Desk version, plus it "speaks" pronunciations. However, very often, when I look up a word, I get a blank screen, and have to toggle between text sizes to make the dictionary entry appear. Typing a query in the search field, especially the first time after I launch the dictionary, is annoyingly sluggish. Finally, I'm disappointed that, after reporting these issues to the developer (via the email address obtained from their Web site), I never received a reply. I hope the developers will read this posting, and address the glitches I've described. At that point, the product will be worthy of a 5-star rating. It's great to be able to carry full-fledged version of a premium dictionary in my pocket! This is one of the more costly iPhone apps, but in my opinion, worth the expense. (It's also rather large. I just hope it's not TOO large for the iPhone to handle, and that the issues I've experienced are not an unresolvable consequence of its size.)

Dictionary: -- The dictionary itself is incredibly comprehensive. The definitions are clear, concise, and to the point. There's simply no comparison between this dictionary and the free dictionaries based on WordNet. -- All words have recorded pronounciation. Written pronounciation is of course also available, with the latest update including a pronounciation key. User Interface: -- Search is very fast, loading full and partial matches as you type -- The History feature is great, letting you view all the words you previously looked up. You can also delete unwanted words from the history. -- In Search mode, the 'X' button for clearing the search field didn't work very well. This seems to have been fixed in the latest update. -- Also starting with the latest update, all words are hyperlinked, so you can click on any word in a definition to jump to that word's definition Minor Annoyances: -- In Search mode, the 'Info' button is near the 'X' button (including in the latest update). Sometimes the 'Info' button gets pressed by mistake. -- Sometimes the selected definition doesn't get loaded, instead getting a blank screen. You then have to go back and choose the word again. This may have been fixed in the latest update; I haven't used it long enough to find out. Apart from that, it's really all I could wish for in a dictionary. Well worth the price in my opinion.

Updated review: I decided I had to update my old review (below) because the newer edition of this app fixed all my old complaints. This app is fast, and has tap-through (so you can tap on a word in a definition to take you to that word's definition). If you like dictionaries, this incredible. And you can "bookmark" words: I use this feature to save words I like but predict I will forget. I can quiz myself on them later by brining up the list of bookmarked words and trying to recall their definitions. This app looks nice, is easy to use, has great content--hands down, it beats having a print edition. ---- The content is good, obviously, and its got audio. Not sure who needs audio, but it's a neat feature I guess. That said, there are flaws: * Every dang time you open the app, you see a splash screen. It stays up for too long. It should be gotten rid of. You should just be able to go straight to a word lookup. * Overall the dictionary is a bit slow. It's not crazy slow. But word lookups should be zippier. * You can't click on any word to take you to its definition, which would be a very nice feature if it could be implemented w/out sacrificing load time So overall this is a good dictionary but I was hoping for a bit more. Hopefully they'll update it fixing at least the speed and splash screen issues.

Having robust oral and written language skills allows one to wield more influence in a vast majority of interactions with others. Speaking and writing well is attractive and empowering. The path to achieving these skills begins with reading and a good dictionary. The American Heritage 4th ed. for iphone and ipad is simply the best dictionary available, bar none. I was impressed with the multitude of graphic images that reinforce many of the definitions, sometimes making it feel more like an encyclopedia. The app actually speaking the word quickly resolves any pronunciation arguments with friends who can't read phonetics. I also found the opening essays on the origins of language to be quite engaging. There are so many gems of reference knowledge throughout this app that it is exciting just to explore it and see what else you can find, there are some interesting things beyond word definitions here. I must also say the Enfour's support staff is top-notch. There were some very minor bugs in the initial versions and they have all been corrected in prompt fashion. This is a very responsive group of folks who do great work. To summarize, if you want to improve your language skills and fundamental knowledge, you would be hard-pressed to find a more thorough resource than this volume-in-an-app.

When I bought this app some 2 years ago or so, I was just paying for a dictionary app that I hoped would be worth the extra money. What I got was so much more than I expected, in fact it is the best app on my iPhone, as well as on my iPad. It wasn't just a purchase, it was an investment. This app updates at least biweekly, which to some users is tiresome, but not for me. Every time there is a new update I can expect to see a handful of new features and added words instead of just, "bug fixes" or "compatibility with iOS 5". Features like audio pronunciation, bookmarking, flashcards, spell-check word search, and compatibility with Roget's II Thesaurus make this app so much easier and fun to use. For those rare times when there are bugs, a fixed version is often available the very same day. As for content, I have not yet searched a word this dictionary does not have, and updates continue to add new words frequently. I am more than happy to say this is the best app investment I have ever made. I am anticipating the new American Heritage Dictionary 5th Edition and would love to see it as a discounted upgrade, but if that is not the case I would be happy to pay another $25 for another incredible 2+ year investment. Thank you so much American Heritage for such a fantastic app!