Dictionary apps are always useful, and one of the latest to join this app family is Wordy: The Logophile’s Primer, which serves up a word of the day alongside its aggregated word database.
Although I appreciate Wordy’s word of the day, I’m not sure what clock this app is using. Early last night, the app taught me a new word for kilt — now some 20 hours later in the afternoon, I still haven’t been treated to anything new. Because there’s no support for previous entries, you can only view the current day’s entry. I found this very strange since, at the least, a previous word list would help you actually retain some knowledge. I can’t remember Wordy’s word from two days ago.
Because Wordy is an aggregator, many words come with multiple definitions from different sources, however, the sources are anonymous, which detracts from the app’s credibility. Not all words offer antonyms or synonyms, and I’ve yet to look up a word that shows anything in the reference tab. There’s also no word pronunciation available. I’ve never seen a dictionary without this basic feature.
Wordy isn’t poorly designed, per se, there’s just not much user interaction required, so it’s relatively austere. Yes, you can use it as a dictionary, but the app does require Internet connectivity (and keeping a connection to its server was trying), so don’t count on the app in dead zones.
There are better dictionary apps available, and Wordy’s word of the day isn’t enough to boost it to the top of the list.
