In this article, we'll introduce you to a platform called Braina, which offers a wide range of tools for finding a large number of synonyms in several languages. You'll also find a powerful dictionary of antonyms and definitions.
A note on languages
Here is an important clarification: The interface in its Lite version only includes the English language, but in its commercial versions it offers a wide range of languages (including Spanish). For this reason, if you're a writer or a professional who is fully proficient in English, the free version will work for you; otherwise, you'll have to pay for one of its commercial versions.
Braina as a personal assistant
Braina is actually a personal assistant program for Windows. Like Cortana, you can communicate with it via voice. One of the built-in features is the “Dictionary and Thesaurus”, which you can use to find the meaning of words, find antonyms, and, of course, search for synonyms (dictionary functions don't work with voice and work in Spanish in the Lite version).
Once you install the program, it will ask you to fill in your personal details. And you can start looking for synonyms right away.
Using the search tools
After opening the tools interface, in the “Settings” section, you can modify the voice and language recognition.
In the search area, you can look for synonyms, antonyms, and so on. To search, you'll need to specify what you want to find in its database; for example, for synonyms you'll need to prefix “Synonyms of …” and then type the word so the environment lists the results (the platform has autocomplete, which makes the job easier).
Free version limitations
The limitations of the free version are as follows:
- Only English language
- No custom commands option
- You can't play audio or videos from its interface
- No artificial intelligence
- Voice recognition only lasts one week
- Among other limitations
Another point to keep in mind is the activation of the dictionary; by default it's disabled, but after creating your profile you'll need to activate it from the top menu bar.
Braina is really a very good platform for writers or linguistics professionals. With its tools you can improve your writing, and although in its free version we find limitations in the number of available languages, if you want to expand the language database, you'll have to subscribe to one of its commercial plans.
