Downloadable Thesaurus Software

A thesaurus can be very useful in writing, as it helps provide better diversification of words. However, if your computer's word processing software lacks a thesaurus, it can be time-consuming to connect to the internet and use a thesaurus web site whenever it is needed. This also isn't an adequate solution when using a portable computer where internet access isn't available. A better option is to obtain downloadable thesaurus software which can be used offline. Here is a brief overview of several different downloadable software titles of this type, along with a few alternatives...

WordWeb 5.2: This is a free software program, downloadable at tucows.com, download.com, and other web sites. WordWeb also features a built-in dictionary. It requires Windows 98 or a more recent version of the same operating system. The only noteworthy downside of this software is that the download size is about 7.4 megabytes, which will take fairly long on a dial-up connection. However, on a DSL connection, it only takes about 1-2 minutes.

TheSage's English Dictionary and Thesaurus 1.4: As its name suggests, this freeware program allows users to access both a thesaurus and dictionary, without using the internet. The download size is fairly large, at almost 7.9 megabytes. It is downloadable at softpedia.com, tucows.com, and others. An advantage of this software is that, unlike some of the others listed here, it will work in Windows 95.

Mobysaurus Thesaurus 1.0.55: Another free software program, it does not include a dictionary or any other major extra tools/features. This helps give it a relatively low download size, at about 4.7 megabytes. It is downloadable from download.com, softpedia.com, and others. Like WordWeb, it requires Windows 98 or later.

The Thinking Man's Thesaurus: Downloadable from theabsolute.net and a few others, this free software looks to be a good option for people with older operating systems and/or a dial-up internet connection. The download size is only about 0.8 megabyte, and it works in Windows 3.1, 95, and newer versions. It also appears to include a built-in spelling checker.

Each of the above-mentioned programs have been scanned with AVG Free anti-virus. Some alternatives to this type of downloadable thesaurus software are also available. The free word processors OpenOffice Writer (for Linux, Windows, others), Pedit (for DOS), and Nisus Writer (for Macintosh) include built-in thesaurus features. Some electronic organizers and stand-alone word processing units have this feature as well. Another option is to purchase a thesaurus or combination dictionary/thesaurus in book form. An advantage of this method is that you don't have to worry about any computer system requirements, and you can use it when writing on paper while the computer is turned off.