Search tips
Basic features
Some of the search tips mentioned below apply to both the dictionary and the forums.
| Search techniques | Example / description | Dictionary search | Forum search | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The search is case insensitive. | Searching for Kuh yields the same results as searching for kuh |   | ||
| Umlauts can be typed as two vowels. | Searching for Kühe yields the same results as searching for Kuehe |   | ||
| Accents and other diacritic signs need not be typed. | Searching for même yields the same results as searching for meme |   | [1] | [1] |
| When searching for composed entries, the word order is irrelevant. | Searching for Haus groß yields the same results as searching for groß Haus |   | ||
| search query suggestions | If you type abru e.g., autocomplete will predict the words Abruf, abrupt, abrufeb etc. for you. |  | ||
[1] Depending on your search term(s), the order of results may vary.
Advanced search
Refine your search to make your search results more precise.
| Search techniques | Example / description | Dictionary search | Forum search |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wildcard search: Use * (asterisk) as placeholder for missing parts of a word. | abr* Please note: wildcard search only works for three characters and more. Searching for abr* will return results, ab* will not. Exception: This restriction does not apply for Chinese characters. | ||
| Unidirectional search | Clicking changes the search direction from bidirectional to unidirectional ( or ) Keep on clicking to change the search direction again. | ||
| Special character support | If you wish to type special characters, umlauts, accents and other diacritics, you need to enable special character support by clicking the symbol. disable special character support / enable special character support | ||
| Automatic Focus | Even if the focus is not on the search box, you can nevertheless immediately start typing. This will automatically activate the search box and delete existing content in the search field . disable automatic focus / enable automatic focus | [2] | |
| Force match | Force the inclusion of a word in the search results by adding the "+" sign, e.g. im +Verzug | ||
| Search for an exact phrase | Put your phrase inside double quotes (e.g. "im Verzug") to receive exact matches. | ||
| Search for an “approximate” phrase | Search for "im Vollzug"~1 to find forum threads for “im Vollzug” and/or “im offenen Vollzug”. If you’d also like to get results for “im offenen freien Vollzug”, search for "im Vollzug"~2. |
[2] Automatic Focus is disabled while you are writing posts in the forum.
Other dictionary search parameters
If, for example, you are translating a technical text or if you want to find results only for a certain word class, there are two ways to adjust the order of search results according to your needs:
Preferred vocabulary
To adjust the settings so that technical vocabulary will be listed at the top of the table, click the corresponding button. This will overide the default setting Basic vocabulary at top.
- Essential vocabulary includes the most common words for beginners and intermediate learners. Words from this category are listed alphabetically.
- Specialised vocabulary includes technical terms that are highly dependent on context and may only be used in certain fields. Again, words from this category are listed alphabetically.
Search mode
Lastly, you may also choose to restrict results to entries containing all search words.
Search results
For detailed information on the order of search results, Please read the information on this page.
