1. In an electronic dictionary and language interpreter device wherein a first word or words represented in a first language are entered for retrieving a second word or words represented in a second language equivalent to the first word or words or for retrieving the definition of a word in either language, the improvement comprising: input means for entering a specific entry word; abbreviation memory means for storing a plurality of words in a word block in alphabetic order, said plurality of alphabetized words having letters in common forming common repeating parts of said plurality of words, wherein said plurality of words in the word block are stored in an abbreviated code format comprising abbreviated code information representing said common repeating parts of said plurality of words and additional data representing other letters of said plurality of words; retrieval means responsive to the input means for retrieving abbreviated code information and additional data to construct a retrieved word related to the specific entry word; and display means responsive to said retrieval means for displaying said retrieved word.