find the words you need

The ColloCaid project focuses on the development of a text-editing tool to help writers with collocations, i.e., a text editor that helps writers find words that go well together, such as 'collect data', 'change dramatically',  'successfully achieved',  'entirely appropriate', and so on. Our research involves investigating user needs, the visualisation of lexicographic data and human-computer interaction, and compiling  a large database of collocation suggestions using state-of-the-art e-lexicography tools and resources. We help writers by raising awareness of collocations they may not remember to use or know where to look up, in a way that does not disrupt their writing. Collocations typically used by expert writers in authentic texts are integrated into a text editor, so that writers can access them as they write. Although ColloCaid only covers academic English, our proof of concept can be broadened to other languages and usages beyond academic.