Whether you're a student committed to building your vocabulary or simply an unabashed lover of the English language, starting each day with a fresh word in your email can be intellectually nourishing--and more enjoyable than a bowl of All-Bran.
Here are three of our favorite daily word sites: all are free and available through email subscriptions.
Oxford English Dictionary Word of the Day
For many of us, the Oxford English Dictionary is the ultimate reference work, and the OED Word of the Day provides a complete entry, including a wealth of illustrative sentences, from the 20-volume dictionary. You can sign up to have the OED's Word of the Day delivered by e-mail or RSS web feed.
Recommended for scholars, English majors, and logophiles.Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day
Less expansive than the OED site, the daily word page hosted by this U.S. dictionary-maker provides an audio pronunciation guide along with basic definitions. The Merriam-Webster Word of the Day is also available as a podcast, which you can listen to on your computer or MP3 player.
Recommended for high school and college students as well as advanced ESL students.A.Word.A.Day (AWAD)
Now in its 13th year, A.Word.A.Day at Wordsmith.org is the creation of Anu Garg, an India-born computer engineer who clearly enjoys sharing his pleasure in words. Simply designed, this popular site (over half-a-million subscribers) offers concise definitions and examples of words that relate to a different theme every week.
Recommended for all word lovers.
