Looking Up Word Definitions:

1. Use the start menu or desktop shortcut to start the Talking Dictionary. If the dictionary has been minimized to the system tray, use the key combination Control Alt and R to restore it.
2. Type the word you want to look up and then press the “Enter” key. The dictionary will search for the word in its database. The dictionary will automatically speak out the first definition it finds for the word, along with the word type (i.e., noun, verb or etc).
3. Press F7 and F5 to navigate forwards and backwards through the definitions found for the word you looked up. F6 can be used to repeat anything that has just been spoken.

• Tip: You can interrupt the dictionary at any time by pressing Control F2.

Reviewing Synonymous Words:

1. Type the word you want to look up and then press the “Enter” key. The dictionary will automatically speak out the first definition it finds for the word.
2. Press F4 to hear synonyms for this word. The first synonym will be spoken.
3. Press F7 and F5 to navigate forwards and backwards through the definitions found for the word you looked up. F6 can be used to repeat anything that has just been spoken.

• Tip: You can spell any synonym by pressing F8.
• Tip: You can look any synonym up by pressing F12.

Speak and Spell Words:

Type the word you want the dictionary to speak and / or spell.

1. Press F1 one time. The dictionary will pronounce the word you have typed in.
2. Press F1 a second time to spell the word you have typed in.

• Tip: You can use Keyboard Echo to repeat the keys that you type in, as they are typed. Press F10 to toggle keyboard echo.

Summarising Words:

1. Type the word you want to look up and then press the “Enter” key. The dictionary will automatically speak out the first definition it finds for the word.
2. Press F2 to find out how many definitions and synonymous words were found. If the word was not found in the dictionary database (for example, it may have been mis-spelt) then the summary key will indicate how many alternatives the spell checker found.

Using the Spell Checker:

1. Type the word you want to look up and then press the “Enter” key.
2. If the word you looked up is not found then the dictionary will use a powerful checking algorithm to estimate the word you were trying to find.
3. Numerous suggestions will be offered.
4. Use F7 and F5 to navigate forwards and backwards through these alternative suggestions. F6 will repeat any suggested word.

• Tip: Press Control Alt C to copy the current spell check alternative to the clipboard.
• Tip: Press F8 to spell the current spell check alternative.
• Tip: Press F12 to look up the current spell check alternative.

Using the Spell Checked in Another Program:

1. Note that the Talking Dictionary must be running for this to work!
2. Highlight the word you want to spell check.
3. Press the key combination Control Alt S to spell check the word. Talking Dictionary will become active and will spell check the selected word. Definitions, synonyms and spell check alternatives will be indicated in the normal way.

Browsing the Database:

It is possible to browse the entire dictionary database. To do this, make sure the dictionary is running in normal mode. Follow the instructions below to browse words in the database:

1. Type the first few letters of the word where you want browsing to begin. For example, if you wanted to start browsing the database from the letter “p” onwards, you would type in the letter “p”.
2. Use the keystroke combination Control Alt and B to open the browse window. A list of words will be displayed. You can browse this word list by using the up and down arrows. Each word will be read out as it is selected.
3. You can ask Talking Dictionary to spell the selected word by using the F8 key. Press the spacebar to look up any word selected when browsing. When you have finished looking up the selected word use Control Alt and B to resume browsing form where you left off.

Talking Dictionary Reader:

Talking Dictionary can load and read text files. It can also read the contents of the clipboard or any text typed into it. The Talking Dictionary reader module is used to perform these functions.

1. To use the Reader, make sure Talking Dictionary is running in normal mode. Follow the instructions to load and use the reader:
2. Press Control and R to load Talking Dictionary reader.
3. Type in the text that you want the reader to read. Alternatively, use Control V to paste the clipboard contents into the reader. If you want to find and load a file for the reader, use the “Load Doc” button control to browse for and find a file in the normal manner.
4. One you have some text to read, use the following controls to control the reader:

• Press the F1 key to speak the current text.
• Press the F7 key to skip forward a sentence.
• Press the F5 key to repeat a sentence.
• Press the F8 key to pause the reader.
• Press the F9 key to resume a paused reading.
• Press the F10 key to stop reading.
• Press the Control and F1 keys to restart the reading.
• Press the Control and E keys to clear the reader contents.
• Press the Control and R keys again to close the reader and return to normal mode.

Crossword Mode:

Talking Dictionary has an extremely powerful Crossword function that can find words with up to three letters missing. Follow the instructions below to use this function.

1. Type the word you want to look up. Replace each letter that you are unsure of with an asterisk. Examples are: abs*ent, ab**ent, br**k, b**lder, b***lder and so on.
2. Press the enter key. It will take a few seconds for Talking Dictionary to search through all the possible words.
3. Press F7 and F5 to navigate forwards and backwards through the candidate words found. F6 can be used to repeat anything that has just been spoken.

• Tip: You can spell any candidate by pressing F8.
• Tip: You can look any candidate up by pressing F12.

Using the Clipboard:

1. To look up a word stored in the clipboard press Control V to paste the word. Press the enter key to look the word up in the normal manner.
2. To copy a synonym, word definition or spell checker alternative to the clipboard use the key combination Control Alt C.

Control Overview:

The visual or tab-navigable controls used by Talking Dictionary are:

Large and Small Buttons:

Enlarge and reduce the text size.

Options and Speech:

Show advanced options and speech controls..

Keys:

Show the keystrokes used.

Help:

Activate help file.

Exit:

Exit the program.

Hide:

Hide to system tray.

Say Word:

Speak the current lookup word.

Summary:

Give a summary for the current lookup word.

Definitions:

Give definitions for the current lookup word.

Synonyms:

Give synonyms for the current lookup word.

Back, Repeat and Forward:

Navigate forwards and backwards and repeat the last statement.

Spell:

Spell the current synonym, spell check alternative or crossword candidate.

Lookup:

current synonym, spell check alternative or crossword candidate.

Basic Keystrokes in Use:

These are:

• F1: Speak and Spell lookup word.
• F2: Summary for word.
• F3: Definition Mode (default).
• F4: Synonym Mode.
• F5: Go backwards.
• F6: Repeat.
• F7: Go forwards.
• F8: Spell synonym or alternative (spell checker) word.

Advanced Key List:

Press Control F9 for a list of all basic command keys. These are:

• F9: Basic key list.
• Control F9: Advanced key list.
• F10: Keyboard echo.
• F11: Copyright information.
• F12: Look up synonym or spell check alternative word.
• Control F1: Toggle focus mode. This control is used to decide whether the dictionary is always on top or not.
• Control F2: Stop the dictionary talking.
• Control F4: Temporarily toggle speech on or off.
• Control F5: Toggle verbose mode on or off.
• Control F6: Toggle help mode on or off.
• Control F12: Exit the program.
• Control H: Hide the dictionary (in the system tray).
• Control Alt C: Copies current definition, synonym or spell check alternative to clipboard.
• Control F11: Spell checks selected word text in another program.

Using Talking Dictionary with Other Programs:

Talking Dictionary can be used as a spell checker within any program (Microsoft Word, notepad, WordPad, etc) that you use for text editing and word processing.

Note that Talking Dictionary must be running for this to work. This means that you must have started the dictionary in the normal way. The dictionary can be active or minimized in the system tray for this control to work.

Make sure Talking Dictionary is running!
2. Highlight the word you want to spell check in Microsoft Notepad or etc.
3. Press Control F11. Talking Dictionary will come to the front and will become the active program. The word you have highlighted will be looked up in the normal manner. If the spelling is incorrect alternatives will be offered.
4. Press Control H to hide Talking Dictionary to the system tray.

Tip: Keep Talking Dictionary in the system tray if you intend to spell check a lot of words.

Crossword Candidate Finder:
Talking Dictionary has an extremely powerful Crossword function that can find words with up to three letters missing. Follow the instructions below to use this function.
1. Type the word you want to look up. Replace each letter that you are unsure of with an asterisk. Examples are: abs*ent, ab**ent, br**k, b**lder, b***lder and so on.
2. Press the enter key. It will take a few seconds for Talking Dictionary to search through all the possible words.
3. Press F7 and F5 to navigate forwards and backwards through the candidate words found. F6 can be used to repeat anything that has just been spoken.
Tip: You can spell any candidate by pressing F8.
Tip: You can look any candidate up by pressing F12.

Hiding and Restoring Talking Dictionary:
It is possible to hide the Talking Dictionary during normal usage by pressing Control H. Talking Dictionary will be minimized to the system tray, a practice very common for frequently used programs.

When Talking Dictionary is hidden a tray icon resembling a book will appear on the bottom right of the screen. Selecting “Show Dictionary” from the pop-up menu can restore talking Dictionary. Alternatively, press Control Alt R to restore the dictionary to normal usage.

Tip: Spell checking a word in any external program will bring Talking Dictionary to the foreground. Use the combination Control F11 to spell check the currently highlighted word in any program.

Online Help and Assistance:
Talking Dictionary has various methods of providing useful assistance. See the control definitions below for details:

Verbose Mode:
During normal usage the dictionary provides wordy assistance. This is known as verbose mode. This can be switched off by pressing Control and F5 if you do not need or want this assistance.

Help Mode:
The dictionary can explain the meaning of each key (as it is pressed) by pressing Control and F6. Help Mode is useful to ensure that you fully understand each key’s purpose.

Keyboard Echo:
When Keyboard Echo is activated the dictionary will speak each key as it is pressed. This is very useful to make sure you are keying in the letters correctly when searching for words. Keyboard Echo is switched on and off by pressing the F10 button.

Basic Key List:
Press F9 for a list of all basic command keys.

Advanced Key List:
Press Control F9 for a list of all basic command keys.

Talking Dictionary Options:
These controls are for advanced users only. They can be accessed with or without a screen reader. However, accessing these keys without a screen reader is only possible if the “tab navigation” option has been selected.

Tab Navigable Controls:
Allows conventional tab navigation like a normal windows program. Note for blind users: If you do not have a screen reader you should also select the Control Echo option in order to hear the currently selected control.

Lookup Word Auto-Focus:
When this control is activated the Lookup Word (keyword) will automatically be selected and filled when you press any character key during normal dictionary operation. This is useful for quickly typing in and looking up words without having to navigate to the Lookup Word text field.

Dictionary Speech Enabled:
Disables or enables Talking Dictionary’s built in speech. If you have a screen reader that you want to use with Talking Dictionary you can select this option. Note that we also recommend selecting the Tab Navigable Controls option if you want to use your own screen reader with Talking Dictionary.

Program Focus:
If you want Talking Dictionary to always be on top (i.e., in front of other programs) select the Always on Top option. Otherwise select the Normal option (recommended).

Default All:
Use this button to return the controls to the factory pre-set and preferred settings.

Contacting Us:
If you have a support issue that you would like help with please contact us by using the support form on our website http://www.rwfts.com.

Speech Options:
These controls are for advanced users only. These controls can be accessed with or without a screen reader. However, accessing these keys without a screen reader is only possible if the “tab navigation” option has been selected.

Press the “Speech” button control on the dictionary main screen. The Select oice dialog will be invoked. It contains the following controls:

Select Voice:
Disables or enables Talking Dictionary’s built in speech. If you have a screen reader that you want to use with Talking Dictionary you can select this option. Note that we also recommend selecting the Tab Navigable Controls option if you want to use your own screen reader with Talking Dictionary.

Select the voice you want to use from the list on the left. Use the Close button control to exit the screen, saving the new voice.

Speed Control:
Use this control to adjust the speed of Talking Dictionary’s voice.

Reset Speed:
Use this control to restore the voice speed setting to the factory pre-set.

Database Statistics and Technical Information
Dictionary Database Version:
Talking Dictionary was last updated in May 2007. The database statistics indicated below are approximate. Talking Dictionary 8 is accurate according to Version 2.1 of the WordNet database.

Dictionary Program Version:
The program version is Version 11.0.0.

Dictionary Helpfile Version:
The helpfile version is Version 2.0.0.