dictionaries range broadly in purpose, size, and price; and choosing one is a very personal decision. the best advice is dictionaries range broadly in purpose, size, and price; and choosing one is a very personal decision. the best advice is to make note of the things you and your family look up in a dictionary over a few weeks' time, and then go to a comprehensive bookstore to make the choice. here are a few things to look for in making your selection.

　　size

　　big, complete (unabridged) dictionaries are expensive and take a lot of room in your office or home. they are also difficult for children to use because they are bulky, and it takes longer to look something up because new readers' alphabetizing skills are incomplete. an unabridged dictionary on the coffee table might impress your friends; but unless you use a dictionary on a daily basis, it probably is not a good buy. perhaps you should look at smaller "college" dictionaries.

　　pronunciation guide

　　many people use a dictionary to help them pronounce new words. (one caller to the hot line saw an "etagere" advertised for sale, knew what it was and wanted one, but didn't want to call the seller without knowing how to pronounce the word.)

　　the pronunciation guide should be complete but not contain a lot of unfamiliar symbols that require continual cross-checking--especially with the vowels. the english vowel system is complex because we use one letter to spell many different sounds. for example, the letter a has three different sounds in the words at, age, and art. the job for the dictionary makers is to find three common symbols to represent the different pronunciations.