It's always disconcerting when you begin to read some text aloud to someone and run into a word you just aren't sure how to pronounce. You may often know precisely what it means, or be able to suss out the meaning from the context, but the pronunciation is just a total crap shot.
Well, if said text is in a browser, you're now in business. With the simple little Pronounce Firefox add-on, you simply highlight the word (often double-clicking will do this), right-click the highlight, and choose "Pronounce" from the pop-up menu. If your sound is on, the word is spelled correctly (!) and Mirriam-Webster has it in its dictionary, you should hear a male or female voice pronounce it for you. You can also add a Pronounce button to your Firefox toolbar (from View -> Toolbars -> Customize...) rather than right-clicking if you're really into learning how to pronounce words -- or if you just like looking at the smiley little Pronounce button guy.
I can't say I use this add-on every day, but it does hit the spot when you have that particular need. Install it and try it out on the words below. I'm tossing in definitions in the interest of literacy.
- barbiturate - n. any of class of sedative and sleep-inducing drugs derived from barbituric acid
- hierarchical - adj. of the nature of a hierarchy; arranged in order of rank
- nuclear - adj. of or relating to the nucleus of an atom (I just couldn't help myself!)
- obstreperous - adj. noisy or difficult to control
- prerogative - n. a right or privilege exclusive to a particular individual or class
- segue - v. move without interruption from one song, melody, or scene to another
- sherbet - n. a frozen dessert made with fruit juice added to milk or cream, egg white, or gelatin
- wizened - adj. shriveled or wrinkled with age
Heard about it from: net@night podcast, I think
Get it from: Mozilla Add-On library
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