When all else fails, you can always refer to a dictionary to find the correct spelling of a word. A dictionary will show you the correct spelling of a word, how to pronounce the word and sometimes will include sample sentences. In order to correctly and quickly use a dictionary, it is important to understand what guide words are and how to use them.
Guide words appear at the top of each dictionary page.
The word in the left corner is the first entry on the page and the word in the right corner is the last entry on the page. Guide words enable you to locate a word quickly. Following is an example of how guide words should be used. If you were attempting to look up the word compliment , you would first turn to the c section of the dictionary. On the first page you turn to, the left guide word is camp and the right guide word is coat .