General

1. Why do I need to register?

In Wrds you can create and save your own wordlists. Wrds needs
to be able to recognise you when you wish to continue again later.

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2. Can I make the letters on my screen bigger?

Yes. You can do this in your browser. In Internet Explorer and Firefox, go to ‘View’
and ‘Text Size’.

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3. What is the best way to test myself?

You will probably practise the words first. For that, multiple choice exercises
and the reacting game are best. If you need to be able to spell the words -
for example for a written test - then select ‘test’.

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4. I cannot sign in, even though I have typed in everything correctly.

Check whether your browser accepts cookies. A cookie
is a small file that is saved on your computer. It tracks
whether, and if so under what name you have signed in. It is necessary to accept
cookies in order to be able to sign in to Wrds. Cookies are normally accepted,
unless this function has been disabled in the browser settings (purposely).

On this page you can check whether your browser accepts cookies:
http://www.tempesttech.com/cookies/cookietest1.asp

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5. I have requested my password three times already, but I have not received a response.

Check whether your email address works. Password messages are often returned to us
because they cannot be delivered. The reason for this may be that the address does not exist
or the mailbox is full (often happens with Hotmail addresses). If your address is wrong,
please let us know through the contact form,
so that we can send you a new password in another way.

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6. Where does the name Wrds come from?

Wrds comes from ‘words’, which can be pronounced
as ‘wurds’. Leave out the ‘u’ and you have ‘Wrds’.

Spelling: Wrds begins with a capital.

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Sharing lists

7. Why can’t I find lists with other people’s words in Wrds, like in other testing programs?

It is very difficult to keep a collection of lists up-to-date. Also, the lists might
have many mistakes in them without anyone noticing. Furthermore, they can cause
confusion, because the title does not always reflect exactly what the list is about.
It is possible, however, for everyone to make their lists available to others
via their own personal Wrds page. That way, at least you know who
the wordlists belong to. For this option, check
Wrds Extra.

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8. How can I view someone else’s shared lists?

If you want to see other people’s shared lists, you will need
their Wrds address, which looks something like this: http://myname.wrds.eu/.
Type in the address in your browser, and you will see an overview of
lists that are shared by that person. Next to each list you can click on
the ‘Copy’ button, to copy the list to your own Wrds site.

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9. How can I share my own lists with others?

This is how you can share your lists:

1. Create your own subpage. After you have signed in, click ‘Wrds
   Extra’, and where it says ‘Share Lists’ click on ‘Settings’. Choose an address for your page
   and click on the ‘Save changes’ button;
2. When you select a list, you will see “This list is not shared. (Change)”
   at the top of that list. Click ‘Change’ to alter the status of the list
   and share it. Do the same for all the other lists you would like to share;
3. Other people can now go to your Wrds address, for example
   http://saskia.wrds.eu/, where they will find all the lists you
   have shared.

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10. If I have a wordlist shared, can someone else make changes to it?

No, they cannot change your version of the list. Users click on the ‘Copy’ button
to save a copy of the list on their own Wrds-site. If, subsequently,
they make any changes to that list, only their copy will change and not your original.

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Foreign languages and symbols

11. I cannot insert any foreign symbols.

This probably has to do with the settings on your computer. You can easily test this.
Do you immediately get a quotation mark on your screen when you press the quotation mark button?
If you do, using foreign symbols will indeed be difficult. This is not a problem
caused by Wrds. It has to do with your Windows settings.

To fix the problem, you need to change the keyboard settings for Windows.
This can be done, but it is a bit complicated.

This is more or less how to do it: go to the Control Panel and search for
language options or keyboard settings. Try clicking on a few further options
to find a place where you can select a language and a keyboard layout
The keyboard layout should remain the same, but the language has to be changed to
English International. After that, you should be able to create foreign symbols.

How it works exactly also depends on which version of Windows you have on your computer.
If you are not very good with computers, it may be better to ask
someone else to change it for you, but if you feel brave you can try to do
it yourself.

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12. I want to test my Greek. Is there anywhere I can find a Greek font?

There is no special font for Greek. Because Wrds operates via your browser,
it is not easy to use a pseudo-Greek font. However, there is another way to test Greek.
Wrds can easily remember and test Greek words, the problem is that you cannot type them,
because you do not have a Greek keyboard. There is something you can do about this.

Caution: do not try this unless you (sort of) know what you are doing.
If you do this wrong you could mess things up and end up being able to type
nothing but Greek. That is not exactly what you were after.

If you are using Windows XP, you can adjust your computer so that you will
be able to enter Greek words. To find out how to do this, please check his page:
http://www.jcu.edu/language/llc/keyboard-setup-greek.htm

Follow the instructions to set the Greek language on your computer. After doing this, you will
be able to type Greek letters using your own keyboard. To know which letter goes with which key,
you can use the Windows on-screen keyboard. You should be able to test your Greek words now.
It is not very practical, but it is the only way.
(Unless you want to buy a Greek keyboard, of course.)

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Pronunciation support

13. How can I make use of the pronunciation support?

Make sure that you have installed everything and you have activated the pronunciation function:
sign in, go to Wrds Extra and to Pronunciation support.

Then you can go to a wordlist. If everything went alright, you will see a little speaker
next to each word. Click on the speaker to hear the word being read out. During your test,
you can click on the speakers yourself, or you can have the words read out automatically.
You can indicate your preferences in the ‘Other settings’ section when you start your test.

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14. I am using pronunciation support. Can I make the green parrot speak faster or slower?

Yes, you can. Click on the parrot using the right-hand button of your mouse. Go to
Properties and adjust the speed.

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