Terms May 2026

: If you are learning new terms, use digital tools like the Merriam-Webster app to save words, or browser extensions like Readlang and Lookupper to get instant definitions and create flashcards while reading. Text Features to Look For

: Instead of just looking up a definition, use a concordance —a list that shows every instance of a word in a text aligned with its preceding and following words. This reveals patterns of co-occurrence and specific usage. Keyword vs. Free-Text Searching : : If you are learning new terms, use

: Useful for language learners, this tool checks the vocabulary level of a text according to the CEFR (A1-C2) standards to identify which terms deserve the most focus. Keyword vs

: A mini-dictionary usually found at the end of a work that defines technical or advanced terms. searching looks for exactly what you typed, which

searching looks for exactly what you typed, which requires you to consider synonyms and variant spellings (e.g., "heart attack" vs. "myocardial infarction").

: Specifically designed for quantitative analysis, it counts the most frequent words, bigrams (two-word phrases), and trigrams to help you identify dominant themes.