How to See the Definition of a Word on Your iPhone

Last updated on April 23rd, 2023 at 07:32 pm

When you are reading information in a text message or on a website, you may occasionally encounter a word that is foreign to you. Your initial reaction might be to find a dictionary or Google the word, but you have another option that is built right into your phone. The iPhone has a dictionary that you can use to find definitions of words that you encounter on your device.

Our tutorial below will show you how to select a word inside an app, then find the button to press which will display the definition of that word for you.

 

Define a Word on Your iPhone

The steps below were performed on an iPhone 5, in iOS 8. Steps and screenshots may be slightly different for earlier versions of iOS.

This article was written using a word in the Notes app. These steps may vary slightly for other apps, such as Safari, but the same general process will be followed.

 

Step 1: Open the app containing the word that you want to define.

open the notes app

 

 

Step 2: Tap the word once, then tap the Select option to select it.

select the word

 

 

Step 3: Touch the arrow at the right side of the list of options.

touch the arrow for more options

 

 

Step 4: Tap the Define option.

touch the define button

 

 

This will bring up the definition of the word. You can touch the Done button to return to the previous screen when you are finished reading the definition.

view the definition

 

 

Did you know that you can have your iPhone read you text as well? Read here to learn how to enable this option.

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