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Dictionary.com Premium Subscriber Help


Answers to subscribers' Frequently Asked Questions about Dictionary.com Premium.

If you have questions concerning a Word of the Day mailing list subscription, please visit Word of the Day Help.

I forgot my user name or password. How do I get it back?

You can retrieve your user name and reset your password here:

Retrieve user name/Reset password

Once you reset your password and are able to log in, you can change it to something more memorable.

Note that if you lost both your user name and your password, you must retrieve your user name before resetting your password.

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I am having problems logging in.

Be sure your browser accepts cookies:

  • If you are a Windows Internet Explorer (version 6) user, you can configure your privacy settings by selecting Tools -> Internet Options on the browser menu, and then clicking the Privacy tab. if you are using another version of Internet Explorer, click here.
  • If you are a Mac Internet Explorer user, you can configure your cookie settings by selecting Edit -> Preferences on the browser menu, and then clicking on Cookies under Receiving Files.
  • If you are using another browser or operating system, please consult your browser's help system or the documentation that came with it.

Check that the date and time reported by your computer is accurate. Cookies are time-dependent and may not work properly if your computer's clock is incorrect by a large amount.

If the computer you are using is behind a firewall or proxy server that blocks, rejects, disables or alters cookies, it may not be possible to log in without altering the configuration of the firewall or proxy server.

Be sure that you are typing your user name and password as you originally entered them. Passwords are case-sensitive. Thus, 'Premium' is not the same password as 'premium' or 'PREMIUM'. If you forgot your user name or password, click here.

Be sure that you a Premium subscriber. You will not have a password unless you completed the registration process and paid for a subscription. If you are interested in becoming a subscriber, click here.

If you continue to have difficulties, let us know about it.

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How do I change my account information, such as password or contact information?

Log in and click on 'Account Maintenance' on the home page, or log in and click on your user name in the upper right corner of any page.

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I signed up but never received a confirmation e-mail.

When you signed up for an account, you should have received a confirmation e-mail from us.

If you use Hotmail, Yahoo mail, or another mail program that uses filters or spam protection, this message might be in your junk mail folder or trash.

If you can't find the e-mail, click here to let us know and we will assist you.

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What is your refund policy?

Due to the nature of our service, we do not offer refunds. This helps us keep our costs low: if we did allow cancellations we would have to devote staff and resources to processing them, which would require us to raise our prices.

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Can I cancel my membership?

There is no formal cancellation process. If you no longer want to use your Dictionary.com Premium account, simply let it expire on its own by choosing not to renew. We do not automatically renew subscriptions, and no further charges will appear on your credit card.

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Where are the audio pronunciations?

Audio pronunciations are available on the dictionary search page when you are logged in as a Premium user. For example, if you search for "example", the entry from Dictionary.com Unabridged shows an icon that looks like a speaker to the right of the headword (ex·am·ple):

Audio pronunciation of "example"

Click on this icon to hear the audio pronunciation.

If you are not logged in, you will be taken to the login page, and after entering your user name and password, you will be returned to the search results page, where you can click on the speaker icon to hear the audio.

Not all words in our dictionary have audio pronunciations. More specifically, audio pronunciation is only available for certain words in these dictionaries:

  • Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
  • The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
  • American Heritage Science Dictionary

If you have any problems hearing the audio pronunciations, please read the next section.

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Why I am unable to hear the audio pronunciations?

Depending on your computer, our audio pronunciation feature uses either .mp3 or .wav (pronounced 'dot-wave') files, both are very common types of audio files.

To check if your system can properly handle .mp3 or .wav files, click the icon below. You should hear the word example.



Did the audio pronunciation play immediately? Or did a new window open and the play the audio pronunciation? If the audio file played immediately and did not open a new window, you have Flash® installed for your browser. If a new window opened and played the audio file, then you do not have the Flash® player installed.

If you cannot cannot see the speaker icon, follow these steps

  • Go to your Premium Account Preferences page.
  • Change your Pronunciation Playback Preferences to use ".WAV Playback".
  • Click Update Preferences

NOTE: Premium users can now switch between the Flash® player or allowing your computers default media player to stream the audio file in your Premium Account Preferences.

If you cannot hear the word, please check the following:

  • Are your speakers turned on?
  • Is the volume too low?
  • Is the volume muted?
  • Is your computer behind a firewall that is disallowing .wav files?

If you feel that our audio pronunciations are not working properly, check if you can hear any of the .wav files on this site:

The Daily .WAV

If you cannot hear our .wav files or any from the above site, most likely there is a misconfiguration or other problem specific to your computer. Unfortunately we do not have the resources to troubleshoot general computer problems like this. Specific problems regarding the software you use to play media files should be addressed by the company who supports the software, as they would have a better idea of what is happening in your specific situation.

Note that we do not know which software on your machine will play the .mp3 or .wav files. Many users use Windows Media Player, some use RealOne Player/Real Player, others use QuickTime, their browser, or some other software. If you encounter any difficulties in playback, please consult the appropriate Web site of the company who makes the program. You may find these links useful:

Windows Media Player

RealOne Player/Real Player

QuickTime

Adobe Flash

Please note that we are unable to answer questions about hardware, browsers, operating systems, or third-party software, and that we cannot diagnose playback problems.

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Where are the illustrations?

The illustrations are available in the dictionary search when you are logged in. For example, if you search for sailboat, the first entry is from The American Heritage Dictionary and next to the headword is a thumbnail icon of the illustration for this entry. Click on this icon to see the full-size illustration.

You can browse through all illustrations on the Illustrations Index.

How do renewals work?

We will notify you when your subscription is about to expire, and at that time you can decide whether you wish to continue. We will save your account information for 90 days after your subscription lapses. We do not automatically renew subscriptions, and no further charges will appear on your credit card.

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Do you share my personal information?

We do not share your personal information with any other parties without your explicit permission. This means that unless you explicitly tell us it's OK, we won't do it. That is our policy and our promise. Please take a moment to review our privacy policy, and do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions. We take your privacy concerns very seriously, and we are committed to protecting your personal information from all unauthorized access.

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Is my personal information kept secure?

Yes. We take great pains to protect your personal information.

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Can I access my Dictionary.com Premium account from more than one computer?

Yes! You can stay logged in from up to 3 computers. Note that if you are logged in from 3 computers and log in from a fourth, we will automatically log you out from the computer that was least recently used.

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Does Dictionary.com Premium work with CleverKeys and other software that interacts with Dictionary.com?

Yes! You will still have to be signed in or order to access the Premium features and services via CleverKeys or other software, however.

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I have a question that isn't answered here.

Let us know about it!

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