Do you use a thesaurus while you write? (+poll)

[DokiDokiTsuna]

• Yes
• No

Show results

For me, the answer is YES. I have a dedicated thesaurus/dictionary/wiktionary tab open at all times on my browser. I use it to help write everything, from novels to emails.

It's become a bit of a crutch...although it's not because I have a bad vocabulary; in fact I have a fairly big one. But because of the disorganized way my mind works, that's actually worse...trying to recall a specific word is like trying to find a sweater in a big, messy closet filled with hundreds...

Often I know a word exists to describe what I want to say, but I just can't remember what it is. That's where Mr. Thesaurus comes in~

[joannekwan]

Yep, I keep dictionary.com open while I write, switching between it and its sister thesaurus site. Sometimes I second-guess myself so I have to double-check the word definition. And then while I understand a lot of words, I don't always grasp them from my mind bank to use in my normal vocabulary and need the thesaurus to give me hints lol.

[DasIstWunderblyat]

Yes because I don't speak English and I often forget my vocabularies. I try to make the word are in the correct context and meaning rather just using similar words, while trying not to make it not sound like word vomit.

I use Dictionary app when I write offline, there is a thesaurus in it. When online I use Google to simply search words that convey the meaning in my head.

[kmlangleyauthor]

I write on my tablet and have the dictionary.com app (and thesaurus) ready on my phone at all times. That way I’m not closing my writing app to find the word I’m looking for.

I usually have a specific word in mind that my brain simply refuses to recall. The other main time I use it is when I’m editing and I come across the same word a few times in a passage. But I’ve always loved using a thesaurus because I like being a word nerd LOL

[DiegoPalacios]

Sort of. English is not my native language, so i ocasionally need to look up how a specific word or term is said.

[MrTwennysebben]

Nope. My dialogue is meant to sound like my former coworkers and I chatting, and hopefully sounds like typical college-age kids speaking naturally (or at least how they do here in the PacNW). Not much call for linguistic embellishment.

[Penni]

Yup! I always have it open so I don't fall into a repetition pit

[ar-ninetysix]

Huh. My answer's no for the exact same reason you said yes. Well, I mean, I can't say my vocabulary's huge, but my brain works in the same way where I can't remember specific words right off the bat. I can't help but feel like I would use one so often even in casual conversations. It's because I know I'd use it as a crutch to my everyday speaking that I avoid using it.

It's actually somewhat fun?? for me to try and remember a word, it's probably more stimulating for me than frustrating. Either way, not being able to find a word... Yeah, that's not as fun. Then I just kinda cave in and finally use a thesaurus, accept defeat and all that

[MeltingCORE]

Haha yes I do! I have an app on my iPad for it even. I find it useful so I don't repeat words. (I noticed others said this too. There's no shame in it!)

[MoseyP]

Sometimes I'll look up synonyms for a word if I'm trying not to use the same word too many times. Otherwise, I try not to use a thesaurus too much. I've read work (not on Tapas) where you can tell when someone has used a thesaurus too much and it makes the writing clunky and awkward.

Don't use big words for the sake of using big words!

[Inspector_Spinda]

I don't use a thesaurus, but I do a lot of british slang websites. Actually I really need to get to making a compilation of words and phrases for easy access because I'm really bad and thinking up ripe insults on the fly.

[Ardelvion]

Sometimes I'll use a dictionary/thesaurus when I write letters or e-mails because I'm very nit-picky when it comes to using certain words that'll go well with my sentences. I used it also when I wrote poems and essays waaay back.

[rajillustration]

I don't think there's anything wrong with using a thesaurus. But, I don't use a thesaurus. Not because I think I'm too good for one or anything--I just find it doesn't help me find the right word. Every time I have it's like...here's all these very boring words you would have thought up on your own. Or, it's like "here's all these very fancy words that don't actually mean the same thing as the word you're looking up" (thanks Google!) So I just have to use my own bean and scratch my head till the right words come.

[But_a_Jape]

I do for the same reason you do - there's a word that's on the tip of my tongue but I can't recall it at the moment. "What's that word, it's like there's nothing blocking your way or you can't be stopped, (googles 'synonym unblocked') - 'unimpeded,' that's what I was thinking!"

[elpenor]

yes, but please remember a thesaurus is a tool, and an imperfect one. great care should be taken to express a feeling using words that evoke that feeling both denotatively and connotatively. a thesaurus won't give you all that information - experience will

[essem]

I do a lot of british slang websites. Actually I really need to get to making a compilation of words and phrases for easy access because I'm really bad and thinking up ripe insults

Oh I have heaps, if ever you're short !

Actually there's no surer way of sussing a British person's roots and upbringing than the slang, swear words etc. that they use. Like anywhwere in the world it can be extremely nuanced for outsiders ... but in Britain outsiders can live as close as fifteen or twenty miles ! It drove me to distraction writing my most recent fiction ... and I still know someone's going to tell me I stuffed something up

[CurryXSake]

No I don't usually use a thesaurus or dictionary unless I wanted to be sure that I used certain words correctly. There's also the temptation of using overly complicated words for the sake of sounding smart so there's another reason XD.

[impossiblesoul]

When I feel inspired by a real life location, sometimes I incorporate qualities of the scene into what I'm writing. It's surprisingly difficult to describe with simple words these types of dreamy locations. Any chapter with a modicum of scenery description - thesaurus is a must, and that way I can crunch it down to just a few quick sentences. It allows me to be concise instead of spending multiple paragraphs trying to describe how something looks. Often times it's not even uncommon words I end up going with, just words that didn't immediately come to mind that perfectly fit the bill.

[Inspector_Spinda]

PLEASE contact me and lend me a hand if you can? my discord is Inspector Spinda#6298

[MiniSheepPencil]

Surprisingly no, but I do use it after I'm done writing the first outline. I have Grammarly active at all times and that helps me with simple spelling mistakes or a fast change on a synonym that I ended up overusing within the same context.