dic•tion•ar•y
What is it?
• A dictionary lists words ABC order and gives definitions for them, or tells you what each
word means.
How do I read the page?
• At the top of the page, there are two words that are called guide words. Guide words tell you
which words you will find on the page.
o The guide word on the left tells you the first word on the page, and the guide word on
the right tells you the last word on the page.
o You can use the guide words to see if the word you are looking for falls somewhere in
between because the dictionary is in ABC, or alphabetical, order.
• The words on the page are in bold print. The bold word is first separated into syllables. Can
you clap the syllables of dic•tion•ar•y? Dic [clap] tion [clap] ar [clap] y [clap]
• The most important part of the dictionary is the definition of each word. Sometimes words
have more than one definition, and you have to figure out which definition has the best
meaning.
• Some other things you can find in the dictionary:
o How to pronounce the word
o Part of speech of the word: noun, verb, adjective
o Synonyms, or words that mean almost the same thing

Name: _____________________________________ Teacher: __________________________
Using the Dictionary
Directions: While you are reading your free choice book this week, choose
one word that you do not understand from your reading. This can be a new
word that you do not know, or a word that you think you might know but are
not sure. Then, answer the following questions.
l What word did you choose? _____________________________________________________
l From which book? Give the title. _________________________________________________
t On what page? Give the page number. ____________________________________________
What do you think this word means?
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
y Look this word up in the dictionary. You may use a dictionary from your classroom, at
home, or from the library. What are the guide words on this dictionary page?
_________________________________________ and _____________________________________
y What does this word mean? Copy the definition.
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
Does this word mean what you thought? Was your prediction correct? Yes No