Pocket Oxford English Dictionary

This Dictionary has readable size print (our other one even my 10 year old couldn't read it was so small) and is HUGE but small, would be super easy to carry in your bag if you had to, We are using it as a desk reference dictionary in our home for homework. Highly recommend for grade school age kids especially who don't need tons of information, just the basics.

This is a great dictionary. It is easy to look up words and the book stays open while you are checking the spelling.

This is the dictionary I grew up with. For more years than I can remember, POD stands for an authoritative yet handy source of guidance for the English language. I still keep an old edition, which was published long before the Soviet Union collapsed. I bought this latest edition out of curiosity. This new edition obviously bears a modern look. Its definitions are concise, clear, and unequivocal. Unlike the Merrian-Webster series, which sometimes substitute a synonym for a definition, this dictionary defines every single word in such an accessible way that the probability for confusion is largely minimised. However, the apparent dismissal of IPA and the adoption of a brand-new system of pronunciation symbols have caused some confusion. Having been used to the IPA and the system of M-Webster, I don't think I need to bother to learn a third respelling system.

The "Pocket Oxford English Dictionary" is just about the best dictionary you can get for this type and in this price range.The physical size of the dictionary is accessible and handy - sort of like your own word leatherman tool. The text is easy to read with each entry in bold. The quality of the paper is quite good and should withstand heavy use. This is also a hardcover which makes it more even more sturdy. And the defintions are pretty much current and up-to-date. In sum, it's about the best portable dictionary you can get.About the only quibble is that this edition has only 120,000 defintions. However, this is just the constraint of the size and purpose of the dictionary. If they had made it longer you wouldn't have the portable size.