The program is activated by holding down CTRL and right-clicking on a word in almost any program. This opens the WordWeb main window, with definitions and other help. The program usually resides in the tray.
Phrase guessing – for example, CTRL + right-clicking on the 'Princeton' in 'Princeton University' will show the meaning of the combined entity rather than only 'Princeton'.
Words from pictures – CTRL + right-clicking on a word within an image will ask WordWeb to guess the word.
Information
The thesaurus is integrated into the dictionary; synonyms, as well as detailed categorization of the relationship between words, are shown under the definition. The program shows:
synonyms
antonyms
type of
types
parts
part of
similar
Users can also actively improve the dictionary and thesaurus by submitting errors and enhancement requests.
Versions
The program has two versions: the free version, and the paid version, called 'WordWeb Pro'. WordWeb 5 added the ability to list entries from three web sources: Wikipedia, Wiktionary, and WordWeb Online. These details are presented in three separate tabs, which are built into the client application. Version 6 added audio pronunciations and support for third-party Oxford and Chambers add-on dictionaries. WordWeb 7 is mainly a content upgrade, with revised definition and sound database, but also has significantly updated one-click support for latest browsers and 64-bit programs. Changes in this version include: 1) New and revised definitions and related words 2) Updated audio pronunciations 3) Improved one-click integration with other programs 4) Better one-click 64-bit and Windows 8 program support 5) Keyboard hotkeys for Bookmark menu items 6) Auto-detect support for latest 3-rd party Concise Oxford and Merriam-Webster WordWeb 7 requires Windows Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8 or Windows 10. WordWeb 8 includes one-click and keyboard lookup, including in Thunderbird and FireFox without plugin. Support for Windows XP was dropped.
Open-source alternative
No version of WordWeb is available for Unix, however, it can be used with Wine. A similar program which includes some of WordWeb Pro's features, Artha is available for both Linux and Windows; a port to Macintosh is promised. Artha too is based on the WordNet database.
License
Use of the free version is subject to license terms. However, it might be used by an educational institution for their students, even if they violate said terms.
