There are many reliable online dictionaries that you can use to supplement your teaching. As a teacher, it may make sense not to limit yourself to just one, but to use several of them to compare their results. This allows you to understand the target language as comprehensively as possible. One of the biggest challenges learners face in the process of learning a foreign language is learning vocabulary. Vocabulary is considered a central point in language learning, with learners’ inadequate vocabulary knowledge leading to problems when using foreign languages . The use of dictionaries is a great help in vocabulary learning and nowadays the development of electronic dictionaries has added a new and valued resource for vocabulary learning. Studies have shown that e-dictionaries greatly help students learn new vocabulary, as well as being an interesting, entertaining tool Rezaei, M., & Davoudi, M. (2016). The paradigm of the teaching and learning process was completely changed by the widespread use of computers, the internet, e-libraries, digital classes, virtual classrooms, and digital dictionaries to improve teaching and learning methods. It is crucial to take into account the recent changes in vocabulary teaching methods in the learning and teaching process, where both teachers and students have now focused on digital forms rather than analogous ones. Technology has made almost everything easier without a fail and it is now tough to complete a day without any technical interference. The invasion of Covid-19 has made it all even more prominent. From joining classes with the help of various applications to submitting assignments through students portal, everything has reduced the amount of manual effort as well as error. The similar contribution is observed in the area of learning, especially in learning language. And the primary contribution is made by online dictionaries. There are a ton of English-to-English dictionaries as well as other language to language dictionaries that are available in internet. And each one of those will be able to provide the learner with the basic search result. Hence, there is very little to no chance of failure while using an online dictionary and it can certainly be counted as a contribution. In this article we will discuss about the other contributions that are made by the course of online dictionary in order to learn a word and its definition in detail. Online dictionaries help you in learning any word in detail. Once you click the search button, you will be provided with a detailed definition, synonyms, antonyms and grammatical explanations. Some of the online dictionaries like ALDictionary provide pronunciation feature as well. Hence, you can easily get an idea about the standard pronunciation of the word that you are searching for. D. Trcek (2019).

Online dictionaries hold a vast database of words that are usually arranged by subject. This feature is mostly absent in physical dictionaries, and it makes hard for the learner to enhance their vocabulary on a specific subject. However, the same can be achieved very easily with the help of online dictionaries. With the help of online dictionaries, you can learn medical terms, technical terms, terms related to sports and currencies and any other subject that you might look forward learning. There are different classifications of online dictionaries according to their usages:

Visual online dictionary

Visual online dictionaries are a great help in child education. These type of dictionaries offer attractive pictures and illustrations with the searched words. This helps the children in learning about the said word in a faster and better manner.

Multilingual dictionary

Where you can purchase only one physical dictionary for one language, you can use one online dictionary for several languages and there is no need of purchasing it even. Multilingual dictionaries like ALDictionary offer the opportunity of learning other languages alongside English. ALDictionary provides services in nine more languages other than English. These languages include Arabic, Bengali, Chinese, Hindi, Japanese etc. hence, online dictionaries become a great help for the people who look forward to becoming multilingual and that is certainly a great contribution towards education. Being fast and easy to use is one of the greatest advantages to be associated with the course of online dictionaries. There are just three online dictionaries that lack multilingual capabilities.These websites are used to learn and comprehend English and are only accessible to audiences that speak the language. However, the websites with this feature used it in different ways. For instance, this function is solely used to translate words not to explain them – in the Cambridge Dictionary. The system will only translate the term "car" into Polish, for instance, if it searches the English-to-Polish dictionary. English will be used to demonstrate the explanation and grammar. A translated word in the Collins Dictionary is accompanied with a translation into another language. Additionally, there is a pronunciation example in both English and the chosen language. (Nesi, 2009). Gitman E. (2014) The searched word can be heard in a variety of languages . The next point is a pronunciation video. This feature lets users see and hear how the word they’re searching for is spoken. The Collins Dictionary is the only one with video pronunciation. A video that demonstrates how to pronounce certain phrases is called "Videopronunciation." Since it is the most effective method for learning proper pronunciation, this feature is beneficial. The adage "A picture is worth a thousand words" illustrates the learning impact of employing a picture of a word. The best method for achieving the associative effect is to illustrate meanings. It enables you to better recall a word and form associated lines. This gives pupils with different informational perspectives equal opportunities. Some pupils learn better with visual information, while others learn better with aural information.

Combining these two methods can enhance the learning outcome. This functionality is not available on all online dictionary systems, and some only offer it when a user searches for a term without translating it into another language. At that point, the bilingual feature is not utilized. Online dictionaries are much easier to use, and those are capable of providing results within an instant. This helps the learners in learning the language very easily while incorporating a little to no effort. Therefore, it can be stated that online dictionaries save time and effort by a great level and helps in  getting the work done much more effectively than the traditional methods. Just as everyone knows online dictionaries are free to use or at least most of those are free. The online dictionaries provide the learners with results without asking for credit card details. Dictionaries like ALDictionary even provide more than one feature, such as scribble word builder, for free. Thus, you are not having to pay a single extra penny and yet you are gaining an integrated service all to yourself. Some websites advertise themselves as English language learning resources in addition to online dictionaries. Grammar exercises, tests, educational materials, movies, blogs, English language courses, and more are all included in these dictionaries.

For instance, there is a distinct section on grammar in the dictionaries of Cambridge and Collins. With hundreds of instances of grammar usage in natural written and spoken English, users can receive concise explanations of grammar. There are vocabulary, grammar, synonym, and idiom exercises in Longman’s dictionary for intermediate and advanced users. Among the rubrics are "word of the day," "hot topics," "mail," "pictures of the day," and others. It contains numerous quizzes of all kinds. The following categories of quizzes exist: prepositions, phrasal verbs, phrases, synonyms, and collocations (Hulstijn, 1993).

The free Dictionary.com suggests using visual tests. Intriguing activities that help practice passive vocabulary include. A reference tool for finding synonyms and occasionally antonyms of words is a thesaurus. The structural principle of the thesaurus, for instance, is used by Dictionary.com to determine its lexicographic representation at the macrostructural level. Words from specific fields of expertise are featured in the text with examples of how to use them correctly and are arranged thematically. The system provides a sample of over 15 dictionaries and creates lexicographic materials for every word that the user defines.

The definition of the term in the online dictionary features a list of synonyms, idioms, antonyms, usage examples, and grammatical relationships to other words (Figure 4). Additionally, the dictionary explains the lexical unit’s origin, development, and primary meaning. Every dictionary has a registration feature, with the exception of Wordreference, which only lets users register on the forum. Following registration, most websites offer further services.Adding words to the list, updating information, adding user-generated terms, taking quizzes with results that may be fixed, making interactive tools (like flashcards with words), etc. are all available after registering. For instance, users can compete with other users, set their own learning objectives, win prizes for their best work, and more on TheFreeDictionary.com (Kobayashi, 2006).

The most effective method of encouraging more people to use the web platform is through the mobile version. It also offers a chance to enhance a platform by studying user input and their requirements. Mobile phones are used by the majority of users, particularly young people, to quickly access resources at any time and from any location. The full-text dictionary can be purchased for some dictionaries, while others are offered in the free edition. Giving students access to digital educational materials and facilitating digital communication and collaboration between students and teachers are two milestones in the process of digitally transforming education. Online dictionary platforms are a way to plan online activities and foster student engagement (Kopylova, 2018). They offer both collaborative activities using online dictionaries and individual activities for students in the classroom. We have examined the top ten online dictionaries in this research. According to this analysis, each platform offers both conventional and supplementary tools that can be used to carry out specific instructional tasks in foreign language learning. These days, online dictionaries can aid with vocabulary improvement, grammar improvement, pronunciation practice, writing ability development, and more.

In conclusion it can be stated that online dictionaries certainly have been a great help to the learners in the course of learning English or any other language. This help become a contribution towards the ever-growing need of education. Moreover, in this era of globalization the course of online dictionaries have always been an available help, which requires very little resources to be used. The fast and secure results provided by the dictionaries is another factor to contribute to the course of education effortlessly. Therefore, using online dictionary is certainly effective when it comes to learning a language, vocabulary or just the meaning of a particular word. The ability to create and add word lists enables the user to revisit, practice, and review the content they have studied. Three online dictionaries are the only ones with this feature. This feature is only accessible after activating a apremium account for the Oxford Learner’s Dictionaries.mobile version. In addition to helping with vocabulary improvement, online dictionaries can also help with grammar, pronunciation practice, writing skills development, and more. The majority of platforms contain a learning tools feature that allows students to engage in the following kinds of English activities: writing, reading, and listening.

Co-writing articles and discussion topics are especially beneficial for writing training (collaborativeedit tools and discussion tools). Speech, which cannot be generated in an artificial environment such as an online dictionary, is the single exception to these activities. This activity requires the person to be present as well as the appropriate linguistic context. In this article how you can see online dictionaries differ in a number of ways, including their technology environment, tools, purpose, interface structuring levels, content presentation formats, chances for registered users, and more. The integration of lexicography and information technologies in online interpretation can be monitored through the examination of online dictionaries’ functionalities. It helps people become more oriented in contemporary English-language discourse, explains and exhibits how society has changed over time, and displays the linguistic reality of a certain era.Described dictionaries can serve as the primary source of linguistic knowledge when studying foreign languages, as well as a supplementary source.