I tried to compare several Norwegian dictionaries, partially to think about ways to create a better dictionaryfor learners. I would be happy to get your comments. comments

 

Title, publisher, date

Direction of equivalents?

Approx number of head words

Word forms included? Genders, past tenses?

Are usage examples helpful?

Set phrases?

Pronunciation guides

General comments

Kunnskapsforlagets engelsk stor ordbok
Norwegian-English/English-Norwegian
E - > N
N - > E
217,000         also available for iFinger

Lingua. Kunnskapsforlaget, 3. utgave 2002
ISBN: 82-573-1345-9

E - > N
N - > E

40,000 (from back cover statement)

Norwegian genders included.
No past tenses of Norwegian verbs.
No irregular adjectives listed

Only one (at most) per Norwegian word.

Some listed in appendix under ord og uttrykk; others listed in def. Articles (e.g., trŒ i salat)

Only for English words (in Br.E.)

Excellent ÒkortartiklerÓ explaining for Norwegians some difficult English words

Lists by categories very helpful, too, e.g., bank og bankvirksomhet

Norwegian-Englisth Dictionary, Einar Haugen, U of Wisconsin Press.

N - > E only (includes nynorsk and dialects)

ca. 60,000 entries

Very complete morphological information, but often in codes

At least one for each meaning

Good idiom coverage.

Pronunciation presented in succinct form, not very transparent for students.

The standard for years for English speakers. Many cross references, archaic word choices and examples.

Engelsk stor ordbok for begynnere. Kunnskapsforlaget, 1, utgave, 2001. ISBN: 82-573-0987-7

E - > N
N - > E

Ca. 40,000 (from back cover statement)

No genders, past tenses, irregular adjectives.

Relatively few exx of Norwegian wordsÕ uses.

Some idioms listed in Norwegian translation of English headwords

Only for Norwegian words (in Br.E.)

Attractive layout, color pictures, easy alphabet guides, large print.

Collins Engelsk-norsk ordbok: English-Norwegian Dictionary. Lorna Sinclair Knight & Hilde HasselgŒrd. HarperCollinsPublishers. 1998. ISBN: 0-00-470705-2

N - > E mainly.

Ca 25,000 English - > Norwegian.

Index points user from Norwegian  word to English

Genders listed with Norwegian words (when you lookup the English equivalent. Verb forms listed in separate list (not referred to from the article). But table does not list irregular present forms (Œ gj¿re does not note that gj¿r is present).

Excellent English examples (the dictionary is based on the Bank of English.) Norwegian examples are less copious or helpful

No special notice taken of idioms or collocations.

Only English words represented in pronunciation

Appears very helpful for Norwegians learning English, great English examples. One-sided. That is the English to Norwegian is an index, rather than definitions.

Password. Dictionary og ordbok. Engelsk engelsk norsk, norsk engelsk. Oversetter og redactor Nancy L. Coleman. Aschehoug / Kunnskapsforlaget Kernerman Semi-Bilingual Dictionaries. 1. utgave 1998 ISBN: 82-03-32387-1

Ca 40,000 Norwegian words.

Separate Norwegian index points to English word in main part of dictionary.

No indication of Norwegian genders, past tenses, irregular adjectives

Excellent dictionary for Norwegians learning English at an advanced level. English definitions are clear and succinct, generally with one or two Norwegian equivalents. Norwegian index does not do more than point to the location in main part of dictionary that lists the English word.

Idioms appear in Norwegian index occasionally (e.g., fŒ kalde f¿tter)

Only English words represented in pronunciation

A helpful book for Norwegian speakers needing clear English definitions. Awkward for English speakers.

Lexin
http://decentius.hit.uib.no/lexin.html

N -> E. No way to look up E - > N

34,000 words,  ca. 2,500 words in illustrations

provides simple pronunciation guides. Forms of words given, alternatives (hjem ~ heim) given. Good coverage of compounds

very few usage examples

some idioms as usage examples

Stressed syllable underlined

helpful for N - > E when user is on the Internet.

TriTrans (free internet access
)http://www.tritrans.net/

 

Allows N -> E and E - > N lookups

unknown

No forms given

Word-for word translations only

No phrases or examples given

none  

Clue online (free)
http://66.70.46.80:5555/find
?lang=UK&dict=UKNOMX&lang=UK&init=1

N-->E; E--N; N-->N unknown

No forms given

Excellent word coverage (ÔhouseÕ gave ca 25 responses, including house drudge

Simple translations given, Good style markings.

none Clue full version: NOK950
http://www.clue.no

Last modified August 18, 2004