by Barbara Ann Kipfer, Ph.D.

Writer's Digest Books, January, 2002.
Trade Paperback, 693 pages.
ISBN: 1582971404

Flip Dictionary is not a true dictionary in the sense that it does not have complete definitions and pronunciation keys. However, its design makes it incredibly useful for editors and writers. It is more like a thesaurus -- each listing in the dictionary includes references to words with a related or similar meaning (like synonyms). For example, if you look up the listing for writers it says: author, biographer, calligrapher, columnist, composer, copyist, correspondent, composer, etc. People can "flip" back and forth through the dictionary as they discover related words and phrases. This can be helpful if you know the word you want to use, but you are drawing a mental blank. You can simply look up a word with a similar meaning and see if the word you want is listed next to it; if not, you can "flip" around some more until you locate it. Flip Dictionary is better than a thesaurus in that it also contains numerous tables with related subjects and words. For example, look up combat sports and you will see a table listing aikido, boxing, fencing, savate, wrestling and many other combat sports. The Flip Dictionary was compiled by lexicographer Barbara Ann Kipfer, who holds a master's and Ph.D. in linguistics. For professionals such as editors, librarians and writers who quickly need to find a particular word, the Flip Dictionary is a terrific tool.

Flip Dictionary is available for purchase on Amazon.com

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This review was published in the June, 2002 of The Internet Writing Journal.

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