One of them is Ultimate Dictionary, a complete collection of dictionaries with which you can look up words right on your Windows desktop. Ultimate Dictionary includes a huge collection of dictionaries – hence the 158 MB installation file – that enable you to look up definitions, synonyms and translations to a bunch of different languages.

The program features a very simple, minimalist interface with two main areas: on the left side, you can choose to have either the list of available dictionaries or the list of word results as you search. On the right, you'll see words' definitions and/or translations. You can also enable the "Scan" mode in Ultimate Dictionary, which makes the dictionary follow the mouse and displays a pop-up window with the definition of the word right below the cursor.

Ultimate Dictionary is easy to use and performs very fast searches. You can also customize the order in which dictionaries appear, so that you can have your most frequently ones on top of the list. On the downside, the program still lacks some advanced features, such as the ability to add more dictionaries or to minimize the window to the System Tray.

With Ultimate Dictionary you can look up any word in more than 30 dictionaries at the same time, right from the desktop.

Download Ultimate Dictionary 1.0 in Softonic

Babylon works from various aspects. The main interface is a translation window. From here you can access all the program features, as well as the configuration options. There is also a floating module which will appear when you ask Babylon for a translation. The whole module can be disabled if you want.

No matter which option you use, Babylon provides access to a standard multi-lingual dictionary (to which you can add an unlimited number of additional dictionaries), a text/document translation feature, a unit converter, web search and, of course, access to Babylon's paid translation services.

You can also use Babylon inside applications and online as an on-the-spot translation tool. You can configure the feature in the options area, but the default hotkey is Ctrl+right click. This will allow you to translate whatever word you happen to be hovering over or have highlighted.

In all, Babylon is a very complete tool for language enthusiasts. The translations are accurate (in the context of machine translation) and system-wide integration means that you'll never have to wonder about a word again, no matter what you are working on.

If you have to work with foreign languages on a regular basis, Babylon is a comprehensive, well-integrated tool for the job.

Download Babylon 9.0.0 in Softonic

Dictionary.NET makes use of the technology behind Google Translator to offer you instant translations between more than 50 different languages, in all possible combinations. The program is meant to detect the languages automatically, though I have to say this feature didn't work that well for me.

Dictionary.NET doesn't require installation, and runs unnoticed in the background. You can open it with a keyboard shortcut, a mouse combination or from the program's icon on the System Tray, and then enter whatever word or sentence you want to translate. Another option – probably easier – is selecting a given word or sentence and then using the predefined keyboard shortcut or mouse combination to bring Dictionary.NET up with the translation already loaded.

That said, you should bear in mind that Dictionary.NET is still an automatic translator that doesn't produce perfect results. As long as you don't need professional translations, Dictionary.NET works perfectly fine for quick dictionary look-ups.

Need to quickly translate a specific word or sentence? Dictionary.NET can do the work for you.

Download Dictionary.NET 4.8.4518 in Softonic

Using Dixio is really easy. After installing the program and creating your free user account – which you can do from the application itself – you’re ready to go. Simply open any document or web page, hover the mouse over the word you’d like to translate and left click on it while pressing the Windows key. Dixio will immediately display a window with the results – either a translation from Spanish or Catalan, or a definition in English. You can also enter the term you want to look up right into the text field.

The results in Dixio feature definitions and translations from several resources, including powerful online dictionaries and thesaurus, Google Translate and the Wikipedia. You can also browse results from Google Images based on that word. The order of dictionaries, as well as the keyboard shortcut to trigger the translation and other details can all be adjusted in the program’s configuration options.

Dixio worked perfectly fine during our tests and proved to be a very useful tool for those of us who work with several different languages. Too bad it doesn’t support more!

With Dixio you can quickly translate words from Spanish or Catalan into English, and also obtain definitions from English words.

Download Dixio 2.1.0.156 in Softonic

With Lingoversity you can easily practice vocabulary and expressions in a foreign language, building a personal custom dictionary according to your own needs. Instead of having an embedded database, Lingoversity lets you download separate glossary files from the developer's website, which enables you to easily adapt the program to the language you want to learn and you current level of proficiency.

Besides the glossary lists, Lingoversity includes also a special tab for online dictionaries where you can look up words at any time, and a notes area for your personal annotations. What's more, the program has support for voice, which means you can hear exactly how each word is pronounced and practice it on your own.

Lingoversity features a nice design and has a lot of potential, especially taking into account the possibility to expand the program's functionality by downloading more glossaries. On the downside, it wouldn't hurt to have some starting content included in the download file (those blank windows don't look nice) and able to download more material (workbooks, mainly) besides glossary files. Also, note that the glossary files you download must match the language pair set in the program's options; otherwise they won't work.

Lingoversity helps you learn, practice and memorize vocabulary and expressions in several foreign languages.

Download Lingoversity 1.2.3.0 in Softonic

TransLite is a small application that aims to overcome difficulties such as these when Spanish and English are the languages in question. When you come across a word that you don't understand, you copy it and paste into the small TransLite interface. It will then provide you with the various translations of the word and a spoken version. In certain applications, such as TransLite's own help file, there seems to be a certain amount of auto-detection going on - if you hover over a word, it displays the translations it has for it - but it isn't clear where or when this will happen!

The whole TransLite interface can be controlled from the taskbar, and it has a good selection of hotkeys to facilitate ease of use. You can also use the application in various modes - Learner, Keyboard and Transliteration - but again, the differences between them are vague. The translations I did manage to squeeze out of the application were pretty standard, but only for translating a word here and there. Between the lack of quality translation and the fact that it is hard to know exactly what TransLite can do, it's really not an application I would be interested in downloading.

TransLite - what does it do and how does it do it? Absolutely no idea!

Download TransLite 8.6.31 in Softonic

Dictionary Organizer Deluxe is designed especially for the creation of dictionaries, obviously, but it will also work for any other type of entry with a keyword and definition. This app has a variety of functions, but its strongest points lie in its search functions and viewing options. The Dictionary Organizer Deluxe configuration options are almost exclusively related to the way your data will display - fonts, dates and graphics - but it does also allow you to specify users, insert company information and password-protect your database.

Dictionary Organizer Deluxe works wit a variety of formats - including text, XML and DBF files. It also comes with a few examples already loaded, but obviously creating your own databases will require some work. Unfortunately, Dictionary Organizer Deluxe won't make the experience any more enjoyable. The program is incredibly ugly, and despite this being the latest version, its options are old-fashioned to the point of obsolescence.

Unfortunately, good dictionary-creation programs are few and far between, so a lack of options might push you towards Dictionary Organizer Deluxe. It will do the job, but is a fairly unpleasant ride.

If you can find an alternative to Dictionary Organizer Deluxe, use it.

Download Dictionary Organizer Deluxe 3.4 in Softonic

Unfortunately, nothing is very obvious at first glance. The ¡Conjuga! interface isn't very attractive, and it is a little hard to pin down the 10 verbs that are included in the trial version. Apart from that, ¡Conjuga! doesn't actually help you learn - that's something you'll have to do yourself. What it does do is present you with the various tenses and modes of a small selection of verbs, and then test you on them once they have been learned.

On the positive side, ¡Conjuga! is customizable with both a selection of skins and a variety of dictionaries that display in the lower part of the interface. You can also use the configuration options to toggle the screen display slightly and to choose the language combinations for ¡Conjuga!'s dictionary (the program is available in English and German, and a Spanish-French dictionary option is also available). The tests are also very customizable, with accent shortcuts for those who don't happen to have a Spanish keyboard.

Despite these touches, learning with ¡Conjuga! is unfortunately no easier or more enjoyable than learning from a book. The test function is very helpful, but the overall experience is not one that will have you glued to the screen. Unfortunately, there are better language-learning apps out there.

There's nothing very wrong with ¡Conjuga!, but nothing very right either.

Download ¡Conjuga! 4.0.1 in Softonic