Introduction
Discover Antidote
Watch our short introductory videos to see Antidote in action and take a quick tour of the software’s key features in the Discover Antidote section of our website.
Why Antidote?
Language is an organic whole. From glyph to sentence, from page to novel, a remarkable amount of knowledge, reasoning, and emotion comes into play. Typography, lexicon, syntax, grammar, semantics, style and rhythm—all these and more are called on to contribute. And each comes with its own set of rules, conventions and pitfalls.
Harnessing the power of the computer, we sought to bring together the great reference works on the English language: dictionaries covering definitions, conjugations, synonyms and more, as well as guides that cover grammar, style, typography and punctuation. Moreover, we wanted to create a tool that would put this wealth of information into practice: a corrector.
This ambition gave rise to Antidote.
All of Antidote’s science, available since its conception for French, has through time and experience been extended to English. As such, Antidote is catered to those who use French or English for pleasure, work or learning.
In creating Antidote, we wanted to make the treasures of the English language and the French language available to as diverse an audience as possible. Naturally, this involves shedding light on these languages’ difficulties, but most importantly it means laying out all the richness of the languages. It is our hope that Antidote will help you find the joy in language.
This introduction offers a brief overview of the principles that govern the operation of Antidote and the content of its many resources. The chapters that follow provide a more detailed description of how each of these functions.
The four key values of Antidote
Antidote is the result of over 30 years of progress in language engineering, underpinned by the four key values that first forged its reputation: consistency, scope, simplicity and accessibility.
Consistency. Antidote is a one-stop, multi-resource platform for anyone who writes in English, including an advanced corrector, a set of rich dictionaries and detailed language guides. These resources aren’t just pasted together; they are carefully designed to complement one another and interact intelligently to help you explore every aspect of a language question. Individually, each of these resources rivals the best in its category. Together, they are simply unmatched.
Scope. The resources in Antidote are a veritable treasure trove, resulting from 30 years of research. Each resource comes with a host of useful functions, such as the numerous filters in the corrector and the many search modes in the dictionaries.
Simplicity. All the resources appear in just three windows. Each window clearly lays out the functions with minimal buttons, complemented by all sorts of clever, handy options just when you need them. The result is a simple, quick and effective correction process. Antidote is powerful but clean and easy to master.
Accessibility. Antidote is accessible directly from your document with a simple mouse click or from a menu. You’re busy writing, something nags you: you just click and Antidote comes to your help. It’s like having a language expert living inside your computer.
The Antidote product line
Antidote Desktop
The original edition of Antidote is installed on a Mac or a Windows PC, and runs locally (i.e. not in the cloud). It offers privacy, since texts never leave the computer on which Antidote is installed. It is often faster, as well, depending on how powerful the computer is.
Antidote Web
Antidote Web is the cloud edition of the software and is hosted on Druide’s servers. It offers widespread availability: users can access Antidote’s tools and their customizations (through their Druide account) from any computer with a browser without installing anything. It can also be used on a phone, tablet or Chromebook. Digital nomads will love this edition. What’s more, Antidote Web boasts group management features like permissions for managing access to each of Antidote’s tools and an exam mode, making it the best choice for educational institutions. Learn more about Antidote Web.
Antidote Mobile
Imagine accessing the treasures of Antidote’s dictionaries and guides from your iPhone or iPad. With Antidote Mobile, you can. All the dictionaries are included, and they can be searched in all the same ways, as well as the entire contents of the guides. Three versions of the app are available: French, English and Bilingual. (Antidote Mobile does not include the corrector.) Learn more about Antidote Mobile.