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Google app gains direct Dictionary homescreen shortcut

Google Search has a number of built-in tools, especially on Android. Defining words is a common task for the engine, and the Android client now has a direct Google Dictionary shortcut.

Over the past few days, looking up a definition or entering “dictionary” into Google Search has slid up the following panel:

Add a dictionary shortcut to your Home screen for instant access

Like Google Weather, this generates an app shortcut that takes users directly to the Dictionary tool. The homescreen icon is of a physical dictionary in the four Google colors and it’s marked by the Google app icon in the bottom-right corner.

The general pill-shaped search bar is docked, with a second field that just queries definitions underneath. A carousel of “Words you’ve searched” is below, with the full lookup interface also showing a history. The full definition card is automatically expanded and displayed in full, thus obviating the need for users to tap “Translations and more definitions.”

It’s a nice shortcut to have, and saves you from having to append “define” or “definition” to a query, but Google Search usually does a good job of displaying the dictionary card.

The Google Dictionary shortcut is live on several devices we checked running the latest Google app beta.

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Avatar for Abner Li Abner Li

Editor-in-chief. Interested in the minutiae of Google and Alphabet. Tips/talk: abner@9to5g.com