Use the iPad’s Global Dictionary

AS YOU MAY HAVE noticed from tapping text to cut, copy, paste, or replace misspelled words, a Define option may also appear in the pop-up menu. This launches the iPad’s global dictionary, a built-in reference that works with most apps. It acts in real time to define those words for you, so you need an Internet connection to make it work.

Using the dictionary is easy—when you see a word you don’t recognize in a text-oriented app like Safari or Mail, tap it twice (or press and hold it for a second) to select it. Then tap the Define option from the pop-up menu. The dictionary quickly looks up the word and presents the definitions right there in a pop-up box.