What is the best hardcover dictionary for a high school student?

[Anonymous]

I will order a new dictionary for my high school student today (VA tax free weekend) as our dictionary is from 2004. (!)

What is the best dictionary for a student in high school to have for his home library (not lugging to school in a backpack)?

(I know DCUM is full of writers and editors so this should be a quite straightforward question with little to no debate. )

[Anonymous]

I don't think this is worthwhile. No kid uses a hardback dictionary.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't think this is worthwhile. No kid uses a hardback dictionary.

Mine does.

[Anonymous]

Has your child asked for one? All the kids I know use Internet-based dictionaries.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Has your child asked for one? All the kids I know use Internet-based dictionaries.

OP here -- yes, my child has asked for one. (I would prefer to buy one and not three.)

[Anonymous]

I have high school and college kids. Not being snarky - Do you know why he wants one? I think his reasoning might affect the type you buy. I haven't seen anyone use a non-internet based dictionary in about ten years. years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have high school and college kids. Not being snarky - Do you know why he wants one? I think his reasoning might affect the type you buy. I haven't seen anyone use a non-internet based dictionary in about ten years. years.

He has ADHD and is a terrible speller, so he regularly consults a dictionary when writing.

He finds it difficult to read online books (we order hardcopy editions of textbooks for use at home; hardcopies are available at school as outlined in his 504 Plan) and therefore rarely uses an online dictionary.

He is in his 3rd year of Latin (helps with word stems and therefore spelling) but he is not confident enough (yet?) to go without a dictionary. Since the one we have in the house is somewhat dated, he has requested a new hardcover dictionary.

[Anonymous]

American Heritage is the best dictionary. It was the only assigned book in my etymology class. It has an index of proto-indo-European roots, usage notes for near synonyms and notes on regional usage which are probably not online.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:American Heritage is the best dictionary. It was the only assigned book in my etymology class. It has an index of proto-indo-European roots, usage notes for near synonyms and notes on regional usage which are probably not online.

Thank you! Ordering a copy now.

[Anonymous]

I'm a high school English teacher, and I tell my students to use oxforddictionaries.com or merriamwebster.com. We don't even check out the giant hardbacks anymore. Your child isn't going to heft a huge dictionary around with her everywhere she goes, but she can get the same information from that dictionary's online version on her phone, tablet, or computer. Why exactly are you insisting on the hardback?

[Anonymous]

Oh, and American Heritage has an online dictionary as well.

[Anonymous]

why bother with cell phones and computers?

I'm a HS English teacher. Although we have quite a few Oxford dictionaries in the classroom, kids use their cells. Furthermore, internet sites are constantly being updated. This isn't the 22-Volume World Book Encyclopedia generation.

Anonymous wrote:I will order a new dictionary for my high school student today (VA tax free weekend) as our dictionary is from 2004. (!)

What is the best dictionary for a student in high school to have for his home library (not lugging to school in a backpack)?

(I know DCUM is full of writers and editors so this should be a quite straightforward question with little to no debate. )

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have high school and college kids. Not being snarky - Do you know why he wants one? I think his reasoning might affect the type you buy. I haven't seen anyone use a non-internet based dictionary in about ten years. years.

He has ADHD and is a terrible speller, so he regularly consults a dictionary when writing.

He finds it difficult to read online books (we order hardcopy editions of textbooks for use at home; hardcopies are available at school as outlined in his 504 Plan) and therefore rarely uses an online dictionary.

He is in his 3rd year of Latin (helps with word stems and therefore spelling) but he is not confident enough (yet?) to go without a dictionary. Since the one we have in the house is somewhat dated, he has requested a new hardcover dictionary.

really?

All of our 504s and IEPs stress online resources and use of computers for writing.

[Anonymous]

Love Roget's thesaurus for finding the right word. (May not be what your DS is looking for.)

[Anonymous]

My dyslexic son types everything and gets a squiggly line under a misspelled word, you click on it and it gives you a list of words to choose from.