Merriam-Webster Announces Free iPhone Dictionary App with Voice Search

SPRINGFIELD, Mass., Dec. 21, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- America's most trusted dictionary is now available as a free iPhone app, and includes one feature that word-lovers will be talking about, or perhaps talking to. Merriam-Webster now offers the first free dictionary app with voice search, allowing users to look up a word by speaking it directly into the phone—without having to spell it out.  Voice search capabilities are powered by Nuance Communications' (Nasdaq: NUAN) renowned Dragon voice recognition technology.  

"Voice search is an example of the kind of innovation that Merriam-Webster has been bringing to the dictionary business for more than 150 years," says President and Publisher John M. Morse. "And with the mobile platform being the fastest growing part of our business, we're pleased to bring our content to wherever our audience happens to be."  

Along with voice search, the free app offers more than 225,000 definitions from Merriam-Webster's Collegiate® Dictionary and 300,000 synonyms and antonyms from Merriam-Webster's Collegiate® Thesaurus.  Additional features include the popular Word of the Day, example sentences, audio pronunciations, and recent look-up history.

For more details, please visit the iPhone app store at http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/merriam-webster-dictionary/id399452287?mt=8.

Merriam-Webster Inc.  For more than 150 years, in print and now online, Merriam-Webster has been America's leading and most-trusted provider of language information. Each month, our Web sites offer guidance to tens of millions of visitors. In print, our publications include Merriam-Webster's Collegiate® Dictionary (among the best-selling books in American history) and newly published dictionaries for English-language learners. All Merriam-Webster products and services are backed by the largest team of professional dictionary editors and writers in America, and one of the largest in the world.  For more information, please visit www.Merriam-Webster.com.  

Nuance Communications, Inc.  Nuance is a leading provider of speech and imaging solutions for businesses and consumers around the world. Its technologies, applications, and services make the user experience more compelling by transforming the way people interact with information and how they create, share, and use documents. Every day, millions of users and thousands of businesses experience Nuance's proven applications. For more information, please visit http://www.nuance.com.

SOURCE Merriam-Webster Inc.