The program lets you install as many dictionaries as you want. To switch between them, simply use the "Dictionaries" menu in the top menu bar and choose the dictionary you want to open.
To switch between the two wordlists inside the same dictionary (for instance to display English-Spanish instead of Spanish-English), click on the double arrow icon between the two language names:
To look up a word in the dictionary, type its first letters in the search box below the wordlist:
You can also use the * character for a wild card search (for instance "*ing" will filter out all the words ending by "ing").
Or you can just freely browse the list, just use the scroller on the right side of the window or PgUp and PgDn keys on your keyboard.
There are two other ways to look up a word:
- You can use the menu "Tools/Search words in a text file" and open a text file in the program. Double click on a word and if it is in the wordlist the translation will be displayed.
- If you turn on the "Automatic clipboard search" from the "Tools" menu, the dictionary will look up for any word placed in the clipboard (i.e. any word that is copied).
One of the features of our dictionary program is to enable you to practice some vocabulary, by creating a practice list. You can create several practice lists for one dictionary, and there are three ways to build the list: you can choose each entry you want to add, or you can add a random number of entries, or you can add all the entries of the dictionary.
When you are ready to start the practice, you can choose between two modes: automatic or interactive. In automatic mode, the first word of your practice list is displayed, and the translation is automatically displayed after a delay that you can set to slow or fast. In interactive mode, you have to type the translation yourself. Of course it has to be the exact translation, so for dictionaries that display a lot of synonyms and grammatical comments, we rather recommend the automatic mode.
To set up the practice mode, use the top menu bar. To create or manage your practice lists, click on the "Practice lists" tab on the left. Then use the "Start practice" tab just below.
Adding new words
To add new words to a dictionary, use the icon at the bottom right of the main window:
Virtual keyboards are also available for some languages:
You can add several new entries, press Enter key or use the arrow icon to save the current entry and add another one:
When you add new entries, they are added to both the main wordlist and the reversed wordlist. So if you add an entry from Spanish to English, it is also automatically added to the English-Spanish list.
To modify an entry, simply click on it and type normally. When exiting the cell, you will be prompted to save the modification.
Copy/paste options are also available. Pasting something in a cell erases everything in this cell.
When you modify an entry, it is modified in both the main wordlist and the reversed wordlist.
Deleting some entries
To delete an entry, right click on a word (either in the left or right column) and choose "Delete" from the pop-up menu. Deleting a word like this will delete the whole entry (the word and its translation).
When you delete an entry, it is deleted from both the main wordlist and the reversed wordlist.
The Freelang dictionary program lets you record entries of the dictionary. Make sure your microphone is correctly set up then use "Tools/Record words" menu.
To listen to a recording, right click on the word, and if there is an audio file for that word you will see a "Play" option in the menu.
The program lets you create new dictionaries. Use the menu "Tools", "Create an empty dictionary", then simply type in the name of the source language and the name of the target language. Launch your new dictionary from the "Dictionaries" menu and start adding new words.
If you have enriched an existing dictionary, or corrected some mistakes, or if you are in a process of writing a new dictionary, we would be delighted to publish your work (on which you will retain the copyright, see the FAQ and our copyright notice for more information).
Sending us an update is very easy, just make sure the wordlist is loaded then click "Send an update to Freelang" in the "Tools" menu. You will be prompted to enter your name and your email address. A verification code will be sent to your address, please copy and paste it inside the program to complete the sending.
The program allows you to modify the size of the font used to display the wordlists, as well as the background and font colors of the main window. You can also replace the Freelang logo by a logo of your choice (PNG format, recommended size 220x220 but bigger logos will be shrinked. The logo appears on the main window, in "Help/About" menu and on the splash screen when the program opens.
You will find all these options in the "Interface" menu in the top menu bar. In the "Theme", "Change theme" submenu, a "Reset to default" button enables you to restore the default colors and the Freelang logo.
You can also modify the interface language, which is the language in which the menus and various messages are displayed. If the language you would like to use is not in the list, you can add it (see below).
All menus, labels and messages are conveniently stored in xml files. These files can be found, unless you modified the installation path, at this location:
Please note that this is a hidden folder, so if it doesn't appear, open a Windows Explorer window and go to "Organize", "Folder and search options" and in the "View" tab, check "Show hidden files, folders and drives".
To add a new language, all you have to do is make a copy of an existing xml file, then open it in a text editor (we recommend NotePad++) and translate into the new language. Name the xml file like the others (freelang_nn.xml where nn is the two letter code you assign), then open "languages.xml" and add the line corresponding to your new language.
When your translation is ready, don't forget to send it to us! Our email is webmaster at freelang.net
With our help
Not everyone is comfortable playing with xml files, so if you need our help just contact us and tell us which language you would like to add. We will send you a text file to translate and when you are done we will add it to the program.
Your feedback is very important to us. If you have comments or questions, if you want to report a bug or request a new feature, or if you need any help to use the program, please feel free to contact us.