Merriam-Webster's Spanish-English Dictionary

I have found this to be very helpful. One nice feature is that if you look up a conjugated verb, it actually appears in the dictionary with a cross reference back to the unconjugated verb.

It also has several tenses of the words, so you can say the right thing even if you're wanting to speak in the past tense. I also like the sample sentences that it gives for many words...you can easily see how the word would actually be used.

It's also conveniently small in width and height. But still packs a lot in!


Great student or traveler reference   March 29, 1999
105 out of 106 found this review helpful

This book packs a lot of bang for your buck. Being the third dictionary I've owned, I am very pleased. Contains great phrasing examples and is well-organized. Has 80,000 entries, including modern terms and expressions. And it's small enough that you can pack it around with you! I highly recommend this as your choice of dictionary.


If you trust this one, you may offend   September 25, 2005
Susan Stubbs (Oregon)
65 out of 69 found this review helpful

While good in every other way, this dictionary is missing a vital part for anyone who wants to be able to communicate without embarrassment. It neglects to warn of vulgar words and phrases. It skips from "shirt" to "shiver" in the English section. On the Spanish side, it fails to tell that, while "coger" is a perfectly ordinary and acceptable way to say "to take" in Spain, it is very vulgar in Mexico and other parts of Latin America. There are many other examples, but it is not necessary to cite them here.
Whether you are looking to offend or looking to avoid offending, Merriam-Webster's will not help you. Always check. If this feature is missing, keep looking. The University of Chicago Spanish-English Dictionary, Cassell's Spanish & English Dictionary , and others do list and warn of vulgar and extremely vulgar words in both English. Whatever they cost, they are a much better buys.


Big book in a small package   August 27, 2000
Iain M. Jamieson (Santa Rosa, CA United States)
38 out of 39 found this review helpful

This is a very powerful mini dictionary at a very competitive price. It contains explanations, examples and phrases making it far more useful for travel than the smaller pocket dictionaries. It has also replaced my desk dictionary as it contains more recent words, is better organized and easier to use. If you're looking for a "one-size-fits-all" book this one is worth checking out.


Must-Have for learning Spanish   August 29, 2004
a college student (Columbia, SC USA)
25 out of 25 found this review helpful

This is the only spanish-english dictionary I've ever owned. I've used several over the 8 years that I've spent learning Spanish, but this is by far the best one. It's lay-out is very easy to read/understand, plus there's great conjugations, examples, etc. that make it very user-friendly. Not to mention, there's tons of words that you don't find in many Span-Engl dictionaries.