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.

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

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

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.

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

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

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!)

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!

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.

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.

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.

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!"

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

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.

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.

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.

Didn't’ even know the word?
Had to look it up. And now when I think about it, I should definitely use this way more.
Thanks for the tip

OH YES. Definitely, my main language is not english so I use it a lot to avoid myself repeating terms all the time

I don't, and it's mostly because my problem is the opposite. I'm a native English speaker who was raised in a house ram-packed with books, I've always had very strong reading skills, even as a child, and my first degree was English lit. I'm also autistic, so my brain happens to be really good at retrieving terms and prioritises finding the "most accurate" word for things (it just....for balance... can't do equations or remember a list of chores... great, brain, very useful, thanks). I'm actually known even in real life for my tendency to use obscure, technical or unusual words without thinking, and often having to explain their meaning to other people at work or at social gatherings.
But I've become aware that a huge amount of readers on Tapas don't have English as their first language or don't have strong reading skills, and that my writing is often really unapproachable to these sorts of people. To make my comic accessible and help me build an audience, I deliberately try to reign in the complexity of the words I'm using. I do sort of miss indulging my love of Homestuck-esque verbosity, but I also like having a comic people actually read and I guess where characters speak more like real people.

Yes! But it's because english isn't my native language. Without thesaurus my vocabulary would be based on popular media alone.

It's not entirely in active use, but I do use one and a dictionary when I'm working on some projects here and there.

Off and on, I generally use a dictionary more to make sure the word I'm using is the right one I want and not just... the one that sounds like it, but means something else entirely lol Ah English.
I also make use of looking up plants and their latin names. Like, a lot, a lot...

I generally don't. Years ago, when I was still, umm immature?Upon reading a chapter, an older, more experienced writer adviced me not to use a Thesaurus. I remember using maybe looking up one or two words, but then nothing much. The words used are, too complex for my peers, might be because we're all non-native speakers.

But I do use the dictionary to look up Latin or Germanic roots of words to use as a made-up language for my WIP. ( will create a proper language as soon as I finish the story)

Sort of. I have really bad dyslexia and I sometimes have to look up words to see if I am using them correctly. I will also try to switch out words when I feel they are weak or might be misinterpreted.

I use www.thesaurus.com and www.inotherlanguages.com One of my main characters (Erras) is old (well not really that old) and he's quite well spoken compared to my MC so I just have to check I'm not using too much slang in his dialogue.

Another (Bellah) speaks a different language - which I get inspiration from other languages, so I use the in other languages site sometimes. She uses the common tongue (English), but it's short and blunt so sometimes I'll also use the thesaurus to make sure she doesn't sound too friendly.

I use the Thesaurus sometimes. There was a time that I overuse it because I wanted to look up other words to describe things rather than to be repetitive. You do have to be careful using it considering some words may not fit certain sentences and sometimes it's better to keep it simple.

My answer: no

Though it would be better for me to use it, I was always told not for some reason. Dictionary.com is fine but not the thesaurus. I never understood why.

I need it a lot for dialogue more than outlines. I know the words, but it's like it spills out of my head after a week or so since I heard it; and there's also Portuguese synonyms taking space in my head that have no English equivalent so it feels like my vocabulary is super tiny. Really thankful for these sites.

I don't use it regularly, but I do use it. If I find myself using the same word over and over again then I'll "spiffy" it up a bit or if I'm having a brain fart and I'm looking for a specific word but I can't think of that word, I'll write the one that comes to mind and seek out the word I was looking for. But I try not to overdue it since thesaurus abuse is a real thing and can be off putting to the reader. It can be easy to over do it in order to make words "fancy" when reality is sometimes the plain word is all you need to convey the message.

I wasn't sure what option to pick. I don't use one when I'm writing, only when I'm editing. My first drafts are about getting words down on paper. When I'm editing, I look for words I've used to often or where I could have used a more powerful word. I also look up any word I'm not 100% sure is used right. Especially if anything jumps out at me when I listen to it through text to speech. If it sounds odd to hear or the computer doesn't say the word, I intended I take a second look.