Using a Dictionary and Glossary

Two word-finding tools

When you meet a word you do not know, two tools can help: a dictionary and a glossary. 📖📑 Knowing how to use them makes you a powerful reader.

What is a dictionary? 📖

A dictionary is a big book (or app) that lists lots of words and tells you what they mean. It can also show how to say a word and how to spell it. A dictionary helps with any word.

What is a glossary? 📑

A glossary is a smaller list found at the back of one book. It explains the special or tricky words used in that book. If you read a science book and see "habitat," the glossary tells you what it means in that book.

Alphabetical order 🔤

Both tools put words in alphabetical (ABC) order. To find a word, look at its first letter, then the second, and so on.

apple → ball → cat → dog → egg

If the first letters are the same, use the next letter: cap comes before cat because p comes before t.

Guide words 🧭

At the top of each dictionary page are two guide words. They show the first and last word on that page. If your word fits between them in ABC order, it is on that page!

Guide words: garden — goat. The word gate fits between them, so look here.

Try it

Imagine you read this sentence and do not know one word:

The owl is a nocturnal bird. 🦉

You look up nocturnal in the dictionary. It means: active at night. Now the sentence makes sense — the owl is awake at night!

Tool	Best for
Dictionary 📖	the meaning of any word
Glossary 📑	special words from one book

Play and practise

Play the matching game to pair each tool with its job. Then flip the flashcards to remember how to find words fast.

Keep going

Try these next:

• Hunt for one word quickly: Skimming and Scanning
• Build the basics: Reading Comprehension Basics

Now you can find any word's meaning all by yourself! 🌟