An updated version of You Have Words Italian was released this week.

As with the previous update this is only available for iOS 7 which is now the minimum supported version. If you have an older device you should still be able to download an older unsupported version. This is a minor feature release to add the option to use the built-in speech synthesis and also to improve the dictionary search results.

Speech Synthesis

Since the release of iOS 7 by Apple there has been a built-in feature that makes it easy to use speech synthesis to pronounce both English and Italian words. This is in no way a substitute for a native speaker but I decided to make it an option for those that want it. When enabled a loudspeaker icon will appear on the flashcards as shown below:

Tapping the loudspeaker will cause the word to be spoken. You can also hear the word when browsing the dictionary by tapping on the word when viewing the word details.

I know from initial feedback that not all users will like this feature. The pronunciation is very mechanical which may be off-putting for some. Give it a try but if it annoys you it can be disabled from the settings (General > Speech).

You can also adjust the speech rate and volume if desired. I find the slower speeds work better but you can experiment to find what works best for you.

Improved Search Results

The dictionary word search feature is accessed by tapping the search icon in the word details view. This feature performs a search on Twitter to show the word as it used in context. This release has improved the results by removing duplicates and other meaningless results caused by matching against meta data such as the username. The matched words are now also highlighted in red.

Compatibility

This update requires a minimum version of iOS 7 for the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad.

Feedback

As always you can send feedback directly from within the app using the “Send Feedback” option in the Help section of the Settings screen. Alternatively send your comments, suggestions and corrections to feedback@youhavewords.com.