Word Of The Day
lingua franca
A region usually adopts a lingua franca, or common language, when its inhabitants speak many different languages or dialects.
When people hear the term lingua franca, they often think of English. Although there are millions of people worldwide who don’t speak English, it has still become the lingua franca of many regions and areas of communication. One example is aviation — for airline pilots around the world, English is the lingua franca. The term means «Frankish tongue» in Italian, a reference to the original, 11th-century lingua franca, a mixture of Italian, French, Turkish, and other Mediterranean languages.
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Commonly Confused Words
See all >
A comprehensive guide to correct word choice
allusion / illusion / delusion
Novelists, magicians, and other tricksters keep these words busy. Novelists love an allusion, an indirect reference to something like a secret treasure for the reader to find; magicians heart illusions, or fanciful fake-outs; but tricksters suffer from delusions, ideas that have no basis in reality.
read more >
predominate / predominant
If you win an election by a 3:1 margin, are you the predominant winner or the predominate winner?
read more >
discreet / discrete
Discreet means on the down low, under the radar, careful, but discrete means individual or detached. They come from the same ultimate source, the Latin discrētus, for separated or distinct, but discreet has taken its own advice and quietly gone its separate way.
read more >
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No matter what your age, occupation, or education may be, you have likely used a dictionary more than once. The online options are plentiful for basic word lookups and definitions. But if you are in the market for something more specific or tailored to your needs, check out these 13 unique dictionaries.
1. Children: Kids.Wordsmyth
Where can my kids do safe word lookups?
When your child needs to look up a word for school, Kids.Wordsmyth is a safe, easy-to-use option. Just enter a word in the search box and click Go. You will notice that as you type each letter of the word, suggestions will appear in alphabetical order directly below the box. This is a wonderful option in cases where your child is unsure how to spell the word completely.
Double-click any word in the results window and the definition will display along with visual and audio pronunciations, photos if available, related words, and a word history. Kids.Wordsmyth provides a friendly experience with useful word details.
2. Music: OnMusic Dictionary
What does vibrato mean?
If you are taking a music class or simply want to learn more about a musical term, OnMusic Dictionary has you covered. Just enter a term or composer and the search box will show you suggestions. Select one and get its definition which includes links to additional terms.
Along with the definition, you can listen to an audio pronunciation. And, for certain items you can hear song examples. For instance, the results for violin give you a few song samples that you can listen to or download like Beethoven’s Serenade in D major.
What is a lien?
Law.com offers a dictionary of legal words, terms, and phrases. Enter your search term, select All Words, Any Words, or Phrase, and click Look It Up. Your results will include all possible matches for you to review. Click the one you want and see its definition.
If you are unsure how to spell a word, you can browse by letter. Then just select your word from the list of options beginning with that letter. With everything from abatement to zoning, this is a superb legal resource.
4. Religion: The ARDA Dictionary
How do you define gospel?
When you would like to look up a religious word or term, The ARDA (Association of Religion Data Archives) dictionary is a great source. You can easily browse for a word by letter or enter a term into the search box.
The dictionary provides a definition with links for further research, examples of usage, and highlights the word in the results for you, giving you a faster way to find what you need. And, the site covers terms for a variety of religions.
5. Business: BusinessDictionary
What exactly is scope creep?
For all types of business terms and words, BusinessDictionary is a fabulous resource. As you enter a word or phrase, you will see suggestions. After you select an option, you will see the definition, usage examples, and a handy button for citing the term.
Another feature of BusinessDictionary is that you get a Term of the Day with an option to scroll through previous days. Plus, popular terms are shown on the main page. These are nice ways to expand your business vocabulary. The site covers management, finance, commerce, banking, and small business.
6. Slang: Green’s Dictionary of Slang
Oh my, what does that mean?
When you hear a word and recognize it as slang, although you have no idea what it means, visit Green’s Dictionary of Slang. Pop a word or phrase into the search box and you will get the definition instantly. You will also see helpful variations.
The website offers a Word of the Week on the main page, which is super handy. In addition, you can browse words by letter and will see that the dictionary includes more than just slang. So if you are interested in quotations, additional search options, and a bibliography, you might check out the subscription option [Broken Link Removed]. But a basic search in the dictionary is free.
7. Etymology: Online Etymology Dictionary
The word telephone is how old?
If the study of words interests you, then take a look at the Online Etymology Dictionary. This nifty tool provides details on the meanings and sounds of words dating back many, many years. For example, did you know that the word telephone dates back to the year 1835?
Enter a word or term, click Ok, and get the dates, details, and history along with related words and terms. If you do not have a particular word or phrase in mind, you can browse the dictionary by letter instead.
8. Rhyming: Rhyme Zone
How can you rhyme any time with a mime?
For song writers, poets, and those who need words that rhyme, Rhyme Zone is the tool you want. Just enter the word that you want to rhyme with, click Search, and see your results. The website provides a great list of rhyming words and phrases separated by syllable count. So, if you need a seven-syllable phrase that rhymes with mustache, you got it.
As a bonus, Rhyme Zone lets you do an advanced rhyme search as well as finding synonyms, antonyms, definitions, phrases, and more. Just choose your search option from the drop-down box and you are on your way.
9. Biology: Biology Online Dictionary
Can you help me through biology class?
With over 60,000 biology terms, the Biology Online Dictionary might be just what you need to get through that tough class. The Popular Pages section on the main page is quite handy and you can also browse by letter.
Read the definition, supplement, word origin, and related forms of the word. Biology Online also provides articles, tutorials, and a forum. Just keep in mind that the dictionary uses the wiki concept, so contributions come from other users. Now put those metacarpals in motion and check it out.
10. Visual: Visuwords
What if I prefer pictures to words?
For a distinctive dictionary experience that uses visuals more than words, check out Visuwords. This website uses a mind map display to provide definitions. When you enter a word into the search box, a visualization will display with the nodes as words and related words.
You can move your mouse over each node to display the definition and there is a useful key to show you what the colors and symbols mean. Visuwords is a very cool dictionary tool, but does require a strong internet connection so just keep that in mind.
11. Scrabble: Scrabble Dictionary
I hate being challenged on my wordplay in Scrabble!
If you are a Scrabble player, then you know how important an official word can be. To find out if a word is valid for Scrabble gameplay, go right to the source, the Scrabble Dictionary. Upon searching for your word, you will see immediately whether it can be used or not. Plus, the results provide you the point count, a brief definition, and related words.
The website also offers a neat word builder. Just enter the letters from your game rack and click Go for possible words. You can even combine your letters with a word on the game board, making it even easier to score.
12. Crossword Puzzles: Amo’s Online Crossword Puzzle Dictionary
Can you help me find that tough word?
Getting stuck in a crossword puzzle can be aggravating and if you are a fan of the genre, you know this. Amo’s Online Crossword Puzzle Dictionary lets you find words based on letter patterns. Say you need a four-letter word with P as the first letter and L as the last letter. Just pop in P**L and see your possible words.
You can enter any combination of letters with asterisks as the missing letters. Look through your results and you will likely see the correct word to complete that challenging crossword puzzle. If you love those puzzles, keep this online dictionary close at hand.
13. Signing: Sign Language Dictionary [No Longer Available]
What is the sign for…?
From Two Little Hands comes a terrific sign language dictionary. This resource provides a short video with each word definition showing how to create it with sign language. You can search by term, topic, or letter.
Each word you click on will display the video demonstration with a transcript and a written description of how to perform the sign. The dictionary and website are intended to teach and help youngsters who need to converse with sign language, but it can be helpful for anyone at any age.
Which Online Dictionary Do You Use?
Online dictionaries like Merriam-Webster or Dictionary.com are terrific and reliable resources for fast word lookups. But, if you are interested in one that is a bit out of the ordinary, topic-specific, or just plain interesting, then these options are worth a look.
Do you happen to have a handy online dictionary that you use and would like to share with others? If so, leave us a comment below!
word noun
1 unit of language
ADJ. two-letter, three-letter, etc. | monosyllabic, disyllabic | two-syllable, three-syllable, etc. | big, long He uses big words to impress people. | compound | native | borrowed, loan When a new fruit is first imported, its name is usually also imported as a loan word. | foreign | content, function | exact, precise, very His exact words were, ‘There’s nothing we can do about it.’ Those were her very words. | clear, plain | ambiguous | abstract, concrete | everyday I find even everyday words difficult to spell. | archaic, obsolete | key He wrote down a few key words to help him remember what to say. | right, wrong You can’t always find the right word when you’re translating. | dirty, four-letter, naughty, obscene, rude, taboo The play is full of four-letter words. Work is a dirty word to Frank. (see also swear word) | famous, household, immortal His name has become a household word since he first appeared in the series. the immortal words of Neil Armstrong as he stepped onto the moon | code The police use code words for their major operations. | buzz (also buzzword), vogue E-marketing is the current buzzword. | spoken, written She combines visual images and the spoken word to great effect in her presentations.
VERB + WORD have Spanish has no word for ‘understatement’. | say, speak, use, utter He uses lots of long words. Every word he utters is treated as sacred text. | pronounce How is this word pronounced? | mispronounce | spell | misspell ‘Necessary’ is one of the most commonly misspelt words in English. | write | hear, read | mishear, misread I misheard the word ‘sick’ as ‘thick’. | know, understand | look up She looked the word up in the dictionary. | find | coin The word ‘e-commerce’ was coined to refer to business done over the Internet. | cross out, erase, rub out
WORD + VERB mean sth | refer to sth, relate to sth | convey sth, describe sth, express sth words describing body parts Words can’t express how happy I am. | imply sth | denote sth Bold words denote chapter headings. | carry sth, have sth The same word can carry numerous meanings. The word has two meanings. | be derived from sth, come/derive from sth The word derives from a Norse word meaning ‘eye of the wind’. | begin (with sth), end (in/with sth) What’s a word beginning with ‘c’ that means ‘a small wood’? | fail sb Words fail me (= I cannot express how I feel).
WORD + NOUN game
PREP. in sb’s ~s The students had to retell the story in their own words. | ~ for What’s the French word for ‘snail’?
PHRASES in all senses of the word She was a true friend in all senses of the word. | in other words They’re letting me go?in other words, I’ve been sacked. | in so many words They told me in so many words (= directly) that I was no longer needed. | in the true sense of the word People who overeat are not addicts in the true sense of the word. | in words of one syllable (= using very simple language) Could you say that again in words of one syllable? | word for word (= exactly) He repeated word for word what the boy had said to him.
2 sth you say
ADJ. quick | quiet The manager had a quiet word with Alison, and she gave him no more problems. | good, friendly, kind He hasn’t a good word to say for anybody. | bad, unkind | angry, bitter, blunt, choice (ironic), cross, cruel, hard, harsh, heated, hurtful, strong | polite No polite words of gratitude came. | flattering, honeyed | empty, fine (ironic), meaningless Despite all their fine words, the council have never done anything to improve road safety. | weasel The government’s promises on nurses’ pay turned out to be weasel words (= deliberately unclear). | bold, brave Despite his brave words, I don’t believe he can save the factory from closure. | wise | well-chosen He ruined her self-confidence with a few well-chosen words. | cautionary A few cautionary words are necessary regarding driving abroad. | soft, whispered They exchanged whispered words of love. | unspoken The look in her eyes filled in the unspoken words in her sentence. | dying, last Her last words were for her children. | final, last The Chairman always has the last word (= the final decision) on financial decisions. | fateful Seconds after uttering the fateful words ‘this is easy’, he crashed. | prophetic | magic
VERB + WORD have I’ve had a few words with John, and he’s quite happy for you to stay. She had some harsh words to say about her colleagues. | put in, say, speak, utter If you run into the boss, put in a good word for me! Before we begin, I’d like to say a few words about who I am. Nobody’s uttered a word to me about it. | give, say Just say the word and I’ll go. | mumble, mutter | slur I knew he’d been drinking because he was slurring his words. | spit (out) She was so furious, she almost spat the words out: ‘You idiot!’ | bandy, exchange, have I usually exchange a few words with my neighbour when I see him. Words were exchanged (= there was an argument). | find He couldn’t find the words to thank her enough. | choose, pick He chose his words carefully when commenting on her work. | quote | distort, twist She felt angry at how the journalist had twisted her words. | hang on The journalists hung on his every word as he spoke of his ordeal. | eat, take back When he told her she would fail, she swore she would make him eat his words. | not mince He doesn’t mince his words when he talks about his ex-boss. | not breathe Don’t breathe a word to anyone about what I’ve told you!
WORD + VERB conjure sth up, evoke sth Her words conjured up a strange picture in her mind. | burst from sb, come (out), emerge, fall, pour (out), slip (out), spill (out), tumble out He was nervous, and his words came out in a rush. His words fell into the silence like stones. | stick in your throat He wanted to tell her how he felt about her, but the words stuck in his throat. | float, hang in the air I let my words hang in the air. Maggie was no fool: she must realize I meant it. | echo, ring Her teacher’s words echoed in her ears. | fade (away), tail away/off, trail away/off His words faded to silence as he saw she didn’t believe him. | hit/strike home, strike/touch a chord | sink in She could feel her temper boiling as his words sank in.
PREP. in a ~ ‘Would you like to help us?’ ‘In a word (= briefly), no.’ | without a ~ She left without a word. | ~ about We never heard anyone say an unkind word about her. | ~ from And now a word from our sponsors … | ~ of a word of advice/warning | ~ with Can I have a quick word with you?
PHRASES get a word in (edgeways) I wanted to tell you that she’d phoned, but you were talking so much I couldn’t get a word in edgeways. | a man/woman of few words (= a person who speaks very little), sb never spoke a truer word/never was a truer word spoken You said we were about to make a big mistake, and never was a truer word spoken! (= you were right), not a (single) word Remember?not a word to (= don’t tell) Peter about any of this. We didn’t say a single word to each other all day. | put words into sb’s mouth He felt after the interview that the police officers had been trying to put words into his mouth in (= to make him say what they wanted him to say). | take the words out of sb’s mouth I was about to say we should cancel the trip, but she took the words right out of my mouth (= she said it before me). | a word in sb’s ear Can I have a word in your ear about tomorrow’s presentation? | (by) word of mouth The restaurant does not advertise, but relies on word of mouth for custom.
3 promise
ADJ. solemn She gave him her solemn word that she would give up drugs.
VERB + WORD give sb | be as good as, be true to, keep He promised to help and was as good as his word. True to her word, she returned next day. | break, go back on Once he has made a promise, he never goes back on his word.
PHRASES have sb’s word for sth We only have her word for it that the cheque is in the post. | a man/woman of his/her word You needn’t worry about him not paying you back?he’s a man of his word. | take sb at their word He said I could stay at his house any time, so I took him at his word. | take sb’s word for sth I haven’t seen his work, but I’ll take his word for it that it’s finished. | your word against sb’s If it’s your word against the police officer’s, the jury are going to believe him. | sb’s word is their bond, word of honour He gave me his word of honour that he wouldn’t tell anyone.
4 information/news
VERB + WORD bring, get, send He sent word to his family that his captors were treating him well. | get We didn’t get word of her arrest until the next day. | spread
WORD + VERB get out If word gets out about the affair, he will have to resign. | be, have it The word is they’ve split up. Word has it that she’s leaving.
PREP. ~ about Health workers spread the word about the benefits of immunization.
word verb
ADV. carefully, cautiously We need to word our question quite carefully. | ambiguously, vaguely | broadly | strongly He issued a very strongly worded statement denying any involvement in the plot.
By
Last updated:
January 18, 2023
The 9 Best Dictionary Apps to Help You Learn English Faster
You just found an English word you don’t know.
What do you do?
Well, you carry a big, heavy dictionary with you wherever you go, right?
Oh…you don’t do that?
Well, you could write the word down and look it up later.
You could also use your phone (if you have service!) to go to a dictionary website.
Or…you could download a dictionary app and always have definitions when you need them.
Dictionary apps are convenient (they make things easier for you).
There are many dictionary apps available for iPhone and Android.
Of course, you really only need one.
But how do you choose which one to get?
Download:
This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you
can take anywhere.
Click here to get a copy. (Download)
How to Choose the Right English Dictionary App for You
Which English app you choose depends on what you need it to do.
What are you looking for in a dictionary app? Answering the following questions can help you decide:
- Do you need your dictionary to be available without a connection?
- Does it matter if the app takes up a lot of space on your phone?
- Do you need the dictionary to have studying help, or just simple definitions?
- Do you want to be able to hear the words spoken?
- Does it matter if the app looks nice, or do you only care about the definitions?
Let’s say you spend a lot of time reading on the subway, and you don’t have a lot of space left on your phone. In this case, you should get a dictionary app that is small and has an offline option.
See how easy that was?
Besides being convenient for looking up words, dictionary apps can be a great way to add to your vocabulary. Some of them even have special features that help you learn.
1. Vocabulary.com
Price: $2.99
Available for: iOS, Android
The Vocabulary.com dictionary app is excellent for English learners because it has very easy-to-understand definitions. The site says it’s “as if your favorite teacher were explaining it to you.” Each definition has explanations of what the word means and also when (and how) you would use it.
Vocabulary.com isn’t just a dictionary—it’s also a vocabulary building app. The app can be customized (made to fit) for the way you learn. It gives you questions for vocabulary words based on how you and millions of other users answered past questions. It even turns learning into a game by letting you earn points.
2. Dictionary.com
Price: Free (with premium options)
Available for: iPhone, iPad, Android
If you’re looking for a regular dictionary app that still looks nice, Dictionary.com has one for you. This app is easy to use. It works offline, and lets you save words if you’re making a vocabulary list (or just like how they sound!).
The Dictionary.com app has a word of the day. It also comes with very interesting blogs about words (and where they come from) that are written in an easy-to-understand way. There’s a lot to learn from this app!
3. English Dictionary – Offline
Price: Free
Available for: Android
This dictionary app is not as modern-looking as the rest, but it’s a very useful tool for Android users. Of course, it has definitions—and as the name suggests, they are all available offline. But there are a few other options that make this a great app for an English learner.
You can create flashcards in this dictionary, and study them whenever you need to. You can look through a list of grammar lessons and listen to sample sentences. You can play “Hang On, Man,” a Hangman-like game that tests your knowledge of vocabulary.
This app has American and British spellings. So if you’re looking for a British dictionary, this is a good one.
4. Merriam-Webster
Price: Free
Available for: iOS, Android
Have you ever had trouble finding a word because you didn’t know how to spell it? No problem—Merriam-Webster lets you search for words by speaking them! This awesome feature is perfect for when you hear a word you don’t understand. You can look it up even if you’re not sure how it’s written.
Merriam-Webster is a well-known dictionary, and has high-quality definitions—all available offline. It lets you save favorites, has a word of the day and keeps track of recent searches you did.
5. Google Translate
Price: Free
Available for: iOS, Android
Google Translate might not be the kind of dictionary you’re used to, but it can be a very useful tool. It’s perfect for when you need to know which word to use in a sentence. You can also use it to translate a word (or even a sentence) from or into your native language.
This app supports voice-to-text. That means you can say something in English (or another language) and see it turn into text right in front of you. One other awesome feature of Google Translate is image translation: If you see a sign in English and you don’t know what it means, just point your camera at it. Google Translate will tell you what it says! This feature is only available in a few languages right now, but Google is always working to add more.
6. FluentU
Price: see current rates on pricing page
Available for: Browser, iOS, Android
FluentU is primarily a language learning immersion program. This program teaches English through authentic videos like movie clips, music videos, interviews, vlogs, commercials and much more. The contextual video dictionary is one of its most powerful features.
Each video has interactive subtitles: Hover over any word for a quick meaning or click on it to see its full definition flashcard. In this flashcard, you’ll see the grammar information of the word, an audio pronunciation, example sentences (also with audio) and clips from other videos that show the word in use.
All of this is contextual, which means that you’ll only see the specific meaning of the word as it’s being used in the sentence where you clicked on it.
You can add words as flashcards directly from these definition cards without leaving the video player. These flashcards can be reviewed at any point through personalized quizzes that change to suit your studies. You can also search for words in the powerful search engine to find flashcards for its individual definitions, as well as any phrases where it commonly appears.
7. Concise English Dictionary and Thesaurus
Price: $0.99
Available for: iOS
The word “concise” means “short and to the point.” This dictionary is exactly that. If you find most definitions are too difficult for you to read, this might be the app for you. It has short and easy-to-understand definitions.
It includes a thesaurus, a tool that shows words that are close to or the opposite of a word you look up. There are also references to learn more. So you can look up the word “diesel,” and also see who “Rudolf Diesel” was.
A great resource to use together with the thesaurus on this app is Visual Thesaurus. Visual Thesaurus is an interactive tool that lets you type in and click on words to see other, related words. This is useful for understanding the exact meaning of a word, and also for choosing the exact right word to use in a sentence.
8. Urban Dictionary
Price: Free
Available for: Android
Not all the words you hear in public can be found in a dictionary. Sometimes people use made-up words. Sometimes they give different meanings to words when they’re speaking with their friends. This is called “slang.” Urban Dictionary is a dictionary that explains these slang words.
Now, I said that you only need one dictionary app on your phone, but Urban Dictionary is an exception (it’s different). This app is a great second dictionary to have, to go along with your regular dictionary.
Urban Dictionary does have definitions for regular (non-slang) words, but they’re funny ones. For example, a regular dictionary would tell you that a car is a vehicle that people drive. Urban Dictionary tells you that it’s “man’s best companion.” This app is perfect for more advanced English learners who want to understand English-language humor and culture.
Urban Dictionary is created by users. This means it contains some rude language and descriptions. So use it carefully! If you avoid the vulgar (rude) parts, this app can be fantastic for understanding words in a casual setting.
9. Wolfram Words Reference App
Price: $0.99
Available for: iOS
Wolfram might seem a little scary—it is a more advanced kind of dictionary. But this app has a lot more than just definitions. If you’re a more advanced English learner, you’ll find it useful.
Like the others, this app lets you find the definition of a word. But it also tells you how to use it, where it’s from and the first time it was used. You can find the word used in famous movies or books, and you can see how often it’s used. You can use Wolfram to help you play Scrabble. You can even translate into Braille (the written language used by blind people).
So, have you found your new favorite dictionary app?
Download one of these awesome apps and try it out.
From now on, you’ll always have the meaning of a new word…right in your pocket!
Download:
This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you
can take anywhere.
Click here to get a copy. (Download)
A good English dictionary is the first thing you’ll need to prepare for your exam. Your vocabulary becomes extremely important in Speaking and Writing sections of IELTS (or CAE). Reading section can turn into a real struggle too if you find too many words to have unfamiliar or unclear meaning. Let’s try and find a dictionary that suits your needs best!
Note that the covers may look different depending on the current edition of the dictionary
Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary
This is the first choice for a beginner. This dictionary explains word meanings in clear and simple English. Even though the title says ‘Advanced’, it is a very beginner-friendly dictionary that can be comfortably used by upper-intermediate and even intermediate level learners.
WORDFINDER section introduce relevant words that the reader may find interesting.
EXPRESS YOURSELF section provides the learner with ways to phrase the same idea in a different way.
Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary
This dictionary will make a good choice for a more confident and experienced learner of English. It has more descriptive examples of word usage and generally there are more examples for each word.
FOCUS ON WRITING section provides the reader with entries on good academic writing techniques and habits.
Vocabulary profile is a nice touch that lets the learner know which words meanings they should know at their particular level — B2 (Upper-Intermediate), C1 (Advanced) and so on.
Another useful feature of this dictionary is that it addresses typical mistakes, both spelling and grammar. The authors target mistakes made specifically by non-native learners of English. You may want to see these lists of common mistakes in writing and speaking while you’re at it.
The official Cambridge University Press page states that this dictionary is perfect for IELTS, CAE and FCE preparation.
These two dictionaries should get your started in the right direction. With time, you will want to pick up a more specific dictionary more suited for your needs, but by then you will well know what exactly it is you are after.
Having a paper dictionary is great, but it is believed that they will eventually become ousted by their online counterparts. Using an online dictionary is quick, simply and always available. Any definition you may require is literally at your fingertips — with the help of your smartphone of choice.
Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English (LDOCE)
Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
This is my personal favourite. Each definition is complete with the frequency of use, British and American English pronunciation audio sample, transcription and examples of use in sentences. If the word belongs to a selected topic set, it is also mentioned.
As seen from the example above, the sentences used to illustrate the use of word are made of fairly advanced vocabulary. This could dissuade less experienced learners from using it and opting for the next online dictionary.
Dictionary.com
This is the minimalist’s choice — all you get is a simple definition, example of pronunciation, simplified transcription (no special phonetic symbols) and a couple of short phrases or sentences to illustrate usage of the word.
The beauty of dictionary.com is that it doesn’t barrage its user with tons of data. It is a concise tool the sheer simplicity of which is easy to appreciate.