

Select the Look Up “” option, and a Dictionary window will appear over the word. Highlight a word anywhere on your Mac, and Control-click on it. You can use the Dictionary app without fully opening it as well. You’ll find Dictionary in the list there-double-click on it to open the app. To access the Dictionary app, open Finder and head to your Applications folder. You can look up words, use it as a thesaurus, or install translation glossaries to help you master or stay fluent in multiple languages. So the Dictionary app is really for reference.

Other apps rely on your Mac’s native spellcheck feature instead of the Dictionary app. Apps like Microsoft Word come with their own dictionary. This isn’t the dictionary your Mac uses to spellcheck words in documents. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to add a new dictionary to your Mac.Īll Mac computers come with the Dictionary app preinstalled.
Even if you can’t speak two languages, adding more dictionaries is an excellent way to help you learn. If you’re one of the 3.5 billion people who are fluent in multiple languages, you will presumably want to add multiple languages to your Mac’s Dictionary app.
