While all accounting and finance dictionaries contain a similar wealth of knowledge, the intended audience might vary. Such compilations are available to aid both those in and out of the accounting industry. While businesses or finance employees may own copies, laymen can find comfort in knowing that any accounting and financial terms they need to know are readily available in easy-to-find and easy-to-use dictionaries. Finance terminology can be located the following ways:

1. Purchase a dictionary of finance and investment terms

2. Access a financial dictionary online

3. Seek advice from a finance professional

Once the source is accessed, working with accounting and finance dictionaries follows the same flow for locating words as other dictionaries. The terms are listed in alphabetical order. Getting to the terms will be slightly different for those searching in a book versus online seekers.

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Resource a financial dictionary for those in the finance industry

Some dictionaries target those in the accounting industry who are seeking specialized information quickly. Professionals who need thorough and in-depth information should consult these resources.

I recommend: Investopedia categorizes terms for even faster access of information in chosen fields. Some dictionaries are even more specific by targeting an individual career, like the Traders' Glossary at Technical Analysis.

Access a dictionary of financial terms to learn more about the finance industry

Words can be easy to find when you can open the cover and go right to the first letter of the word then scan down to find it. But someone unfamiliar with industry lingo may discover that reading some definitions is like reading a foreign language. Some dictionaries are available that explain the terms in easy-to-understand wording.

I recommend: Real Life Online Seminars has an accounting terminology guide that they share as "real life accounting for non-accountants." TD AMERITRADE walks a consumer through understanding some of the daunting terms in the finance industry in order to assist in better investment decisions.

Get assistance finding accounting and financial terms from industry dictionaries

Though seemingly simple, a dictionary can be confusing. From unfamiliar words to highly specialized dictionaries and even non-traditional layouts, there are times when it is comforting to have assistance. Getting advice from someone who has experience and knowledge and reading tutorials will help a word searcher succeed.

I recommend: WebFinance walks a user through the process of their online dictionary. With several different choices for beginning a word search and links between important terms within the definitions of other terms, these directions will provide a fast understanding to the word search process. The thing that makes the dictionary at Management Paradise unique is the accompanying forum and the constant encouragement to learn through daily postings and emails.

The Internet offers a large array of free dictionaries and glossaries of accounting and financial terms. The providers offer these tools with the professional businessperson in mind. They do a nice job with precision and cross-referencing via hyperlinks to other related terms.

By design, these sites provide quick access to financial terms related to all businesses, thus worthy to bookmark. Each glossary and dictionary of financial terms applies in various ways to general accounting, tax issues, bookkeeping, international business and investing. When looking for financially related definitions consider the following:

1. Know where to find a finance dictionary with numerous entries covering the broad field of accounting and finance.

2. Locate a specialized financial terms dictionary or glossary for review or use in business journalism.

3. Understand investing and trading terminology to enhance your personal acumen.

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Locate a financial terms glossary for everyday use

Search the broad collection of financial terms from A through Z, with quick references and to-the-point definitions, at these websites.

I recommend: Go to Duke.edu for Campbell R. Harvey’s Hypertextual Finance Glossary with more than 8,000 entries and 18,000 hyperlinks. Visit Yahoo! for their comprehensive financial terms glossary with acronyms. Go to InvestorWords.com for a financial glossary containing more than 6,000 entries and 20,000 cross-links among terms; browse by letter at the bottom of page. SmartMoney provides an extensive finance glossary with cross-links to other entries.

Use a specialized accounting financial dictionary for studies and writing

These resources provide definitions for professionals in the business field requiring a concise dictionary of financial terms.

I recommend: See ITS Tutorial School’s comprehensive definitions for commerce in the Accounting, Business Studies and Economics Dictionary. Go to the New York State Society of Certified Public Accountant’s Accounting Terminology Guide, prepared for business journalists.

Pick a glossary or dictionary of finance and investment terms for investors

The words in these dictionaries cover all investing vocabulary from easy to complex terms and acronyms in quick fashion. Find terms like 'Gilt Strip,' 'Gilt-Edged Bond,' 'Give-up' and 'ACS' among others.

I recommend: See The William Margrabe Group, Inc, for a Derivatives Dictionary. Go to the Chicago Mercantile Exchange for their Glossary of Futures and Options Terms. Use the NYSE Euronext financial terms glossary by clicking a letter and then any word from the sidebar.

Select an online financial accounting dictionary for new and old words

Whether you want to brush up on your vocabulary, study for an auditing exam or find new finance terminology in today's accounting field, these dictionaries provide the answers.

I recommend: Go to VentureLine.com and select a word’s first letter from an accounting dictionary with more than 3,200 entries. Go to Accounting Institute Seminars for their Auditing Dictionary of Terms that appear on the CPA exam. Find your financial terms in the Dictionary of Accounting Terms provided by AccountingCoach, LLC, with online viewing, printing or downloading of complete dictionary available. Use the Accounting Dictionary online by typing in your word or use the Title Index at Answers Corporation.

Find specialized accounting and financial terms

These resources offer clarity for tax preparers and international business expertise.

I recommend: Get tax and finance definitions from the Glossary of Terms at Total Tax Solutions, Inc. See the finance glossary for International Glossary of Business Valuation Terms, adopted by the American Institute of Certified Public Accounts and others.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Some websites provide licensing to allow posting their accounting and finance dictionaries on other websites. If interested, scroll to the bottom of the financial dictionary online and click 'licensing' or related terminology if available.

Accounting and finance dictionaries for beginners are great resources for learning the language, when you take your first steps in the financial world. Find definitions for difficult terminology with ease when you keep financial dictionaries on hand.

When you hear finance terminology and look it up, it frequently gives you the history behind the term, which makes you more knowledgeable in the finance process. There are many ways you can access accounting and finance dictionaries for beginners.

1. Use the Internet to find definitions for key accounting and financial terms.

2. Purchase books lauded by respected companies on accounting and finance dictionaries for beginners.

3. Study a financial glossary with detailed terminology.

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Find a financial dictionary online to quickly define terms

When you browse through an online financial terms dictionary, you often find links for deeper research. Not only do you have your term defined, but you also learn how the industry uses term and determine the history behind the term when you click on the research links.

I recommend: VentureLine is a wonderful online resource for beginners looking for accounting terms. You can search terms by clicking letters, and you also have the option of downloading the complete accounting dictionary for off-line use. Enlexica offers an online dictionary for financial terms. Type in the word you need a definition for and find out its definition along with links to other resources that go more in depth on what the word means.

Purchase a financial terms dictionary for ease of use

Buying an accounting terminology guide means that you are not dependent on Internet hookups or even a computer for your definitions. Take a book on the road with you and study it as you travel. If you question terminology in a document, slip a dictionary out of your bag for a quick look-up.

I recommend: Finance Definitions offers beginners books that teach basic terminology in the finance and accounting fields, such as "CIMA Dictionary of Finance and Accounting: Over 5,000 Jargon-free Definitions of Key Financial Terms and Ratios." Use 2003 ExcelTip.com to find book recommendations and reviews. One of its highlighted titles is "Dictionary of Finance and Investment Terms."

Look at an in-depth financial terms glossary for more information

Some books and websites offer a basic finance glossary, but other writers promote their dictionaries and glossary as 'complete' and 'in-depth' resources. Look for these to have broader research options and definitions.

I recommend: The Global Investor Network (GI) offers beginners a variety of resources pertaining to understanding finance and financial terminology. It offers a glossary of financial terms on its website. FASB offers a master glossary for accounting terminology. You need a user name and pass code to access this in-depth glossary.

It might seem reasonable to assume that all accounting and finance dictionaries are the same, but in fact there are a number of different focuses available. Understanding the major differences between the most common dictionaries and types of dictionaries will help you to sort through the mass and find those that are most useful to you. Learning the sort of nuanced information that these specialized dictionaries offer will benefit your business. Use these key titles and terms to get you started.

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Traders' glossary

While many online accounting and finance dictionaries focus on general accounting and finance terms, there are a few that focus on very specific sectors of the accounting and finance fields. A traders' glossary provides helpful vocabulary for stocks and commodities industries.

I recommend: The Technical Analysis Traders' Glossary is the ultimate online reference for stock trading vocabulary.

Financial dictionary

The best online financial dictionaries provide key terms in finance, money, and investing, and are subdivided into categories so that you can sort through terms not just alphabetically, but by context as well.

I recommend: The Financial Dictionary is sub-divided into categories for easy cross-referencing.

Accounting for non-accountants

Some industry-specific dictionaries fail to define the most basic of terms because it's assumed that one is already familiar with them. The answer to these oversights is a layperson's accounting and finance dictionary that covers even the most basic of terms.

I recommend: The Real Life Online Seminars "Real Life Accounting for Non-Accountants" dictionary takes a relatively non-technical approach to defining industry-specific terms and covers all the basic bases you may need to get up to speed.

Commerce

Sometimes a word can have a specific connotation within a certain industry context, like financing or accounting, that sets it apart from the same term in a more general context. Commerce, for example, is the driving force that makes the accounting and finance worlds move, but it uses some common words and phrases such as 'Access URL' or 'Loading' in industry-specific ways.

I recommend: The Electronic Commerce Dictionary defines terms within the specific context of commerce and trading.

Investing

There's a lot of crossover between terms and concepts in the accounting and financing world. Sometimes you also need to know terms from closely related industries like stock trading and investing.

I recommend: InvestorWords details the terms that cross over between the financial, trading and investing worlds.