Rating: 5

Version tested: 2.0

CleverKeys is a free program that provides spelling checks, thesaurus, and definitions of terms within any application such as browsers, email programs, text editors, etc. It taps into online resources from Dictionary.com, Thesaurus.com and Reference.com.

Imagine: you are typing in a comment at an online forum when you need to use a word but are unsure of the correct pronounciation. You then launch MS Word, paste the word there, and use that application’s spelling checker (or thesaurus) before you go back to what you were typing.

With CleverKeys this familliar scene will never happen again. CleverKeys runs in the background (minimized to the system tray) and can be accessed from within all your programs. All you have to do is highlight a word then press a shortcut key that will instantly open a browser window with your desired information on that term (CTRL-M will prompt the little options menu pictured in the screenshot). The shortcut keys can be user defined.

CleverKeys uses a number of websites to deliver the information you need; it obtains definitions at Dictionary.com, synonyms at Thesaurus.com, facts at Reference.com, and keyword search at Google or Amazon. It is also very easy to add more online resources to CleverKeys, just add that website in the ‘web links’ tab of the CleverKeys interface. Note that since all information provided via CleverKeys is on websites you can only use this program if you are online.

All in all a very nice tool to have if you often need to look up words.

Go to the download page for the latest version. The program home page.