How to Use DARE
Scroll through the site tour below for an overview of what’s possible with the digital DARE.
Homepage
The interactive map on the DARE homepage enables browsing by region, including states and major areas within each region.
The DARE word wheel replicates the serendipity of browsing a print dictionary and denotes entries that include maps or audio recordings, or that were given in response to a DARE survey question. Italicized terms are variants; highlights designate free sample entries.
Search
The dictionary Quick Search function searches dictionary headwords and variants, while the survey Quick Search covers survey questions and responses.
Use Advanced Search to restrict searches to headwords, variants, definitions, etymologies, or quotations, or to target by part of speech, social label, or region. Filters allow for further refinement of results.
Entries
In addition to definitions, DARE dictionary entries note example quotations, regions of use, pronunciation, usage, etymology, cross references, and related words.
Find related words via direct links from dictionary entries to relevant DARE survey question pages.
Audio & Maps
Hear more than 5,000 clips of original field recordings from the DARE survey.
See regional distribution of dictionary words illustrated with nearly 3,000 maps.
Survey
The DARE survey topically groups the more than 1,600 questions asked of nearly 3,000 informants across 1,002 U.S. communities.
Survey Questions
Dedicated question pages allow easy browsing of all responses elicited by each question. Dynamically generated maps illustrate the frequency and regional distribution of the responses.
Downloadable demographic data allows for investigation of the background of nearly 3,000 informants to find words used by people of different regions, community types, ages, races, genders, and education levels.
“My DARE”
Use “My DARE” to save dictionary entries, survey questions, and custom searches, and to create tags for organizing your saved content.
Bibliography
The Bibliography of sources cited in the dictionary entries lists over 12,000 published sources, extending from the seventeenth century through the twenty-first.