DOWN 1 place in 2018. Word has had a consistent presence on the list over the last 12 years.
Microsoft Word is a popular and versatile word processing tool used for creating all kinds of paper-based materials.
Website: microsoft.com/word
Cost: Commercial. Free Trial
Availability: Download. Online at Office365
Top 100 Tools for Personal & Professional Learning 2018: 5
Top 100 Tools for Workplace Learning 2018: 3
Top 100 Tools for Education 2018: 4
Past Overall Rankings
2017: 6 2016: 16 2015: 30 2014: 17 2013: 17 2012: 19 2011: 42 2010: 60 2009: 36 2008: 22 2007: 10
Comments from some of those who selected Word as one of their Top 10 Tools
“I do all my professional work using Microsoft Word and can almost ‘forget’ about this tool since it has become seamless with my work. I use Word to create design documents, content and complete other client projects. I especially enjoy the ‘Track Changes’ feature to keep a sense of all review feedback and track each item to closure.” Taruna Goel, 2018
“Writing is one of the first ways I make sense of the world. Articles, columns, books. And they all get written in Word. I wouldn’t mind disentangling myself, but it’s pretty much a lingua franca and has industrial-strength outlining, which I rely on for longer writing.” Clark Quinn
“The humble formatted document is much misunderstood. If you have to format something that people are going to print, Word remains the best way to do that (even if most people now seem to think that’s what PowerPoint is for)” Dan Roddy, L&D Manager, UK
“is a tool I use to play with words as another way to explore my thinking. I use outlines heavily and I haven’t found a better way to switch between outlines and prose. This is where things like articles, chapters, and books come from. At least until I find a better tool (haven’t really got my mind around Scrivener’s organization, though I’ve tried).” Clark Quinn, USA
“Can’t go wrong with this tech tool. So many options besides just typing. Research features and more make this a must have.” Michelle Brown, USA
“Basic and functional but good for writing documentation for more technical tasks. Also has great editing and reviewing tools for collaborative” Anon, UK
“we use this staple to create our handouts and extra training materials.” Victoria Schmidt, USA
“for materials development” Jill Pergant, UK
“I’m a creature of habit who grew up using Microsoft Word. I feel the functions of Word are useful for my needs and the only time Word fails me is when I jump between computers (at this point I usually wish I had used Google Docs).” Bethany Langley, Instructional Technology Student, USA
“Great office tool” Amutha Navomoney, Adult Ed teacher, Malaysia
“for storyboarding & outlining” Linda Wright, L&D Manager, USA
“still the most widely used document app and used exclusively in my organisation” Vanessa North, L&D Manager, Australia
“simple to use and skills widely available – great for documenting hands-on lab exercises” L&D Manager, UK
“Use to develop instructional materials” Sherry Hansberry-Brown, Instructor/Trainer, USA
“Invaluable for writing document drafts, I often use a blank / scrap document to jot down my thoughts. Also, a great tool for storyboarding, especially when you know there will be multiple rounds of reviews and edits. Word can track changes really well, and you’ll know who made what changes in the document.” Srividya Kumar, Consultant, India
“for drafting guest blogs, client reports, workshop designs and materials.” David Schindler, Job, Career & Employability Coach, UK
“used to build job aids for task specific, step-by-step procedures” Beth Linden, L&D Manager, USA
“still rank higher than google docs, but am learning to utilize docs more. It is going to be difficult for me to get rid of word completely. In fact, I am having withdrawal. My school computers do not have Word and I am having to work strictly with Google Docs. However, I will tell you that I love the fact that I can save word and have privacy. With the docs, I am not guaranteed that someone might not hack in and take my information. Also, not everyone has a Google Drive, as of yet, and some prefer to have Word documents” Virginia Goen, 2015
“Use to prepare scripts for e-learning” Robert Craigo, 2015
“Script and course handout creation” Marty King, 2015
“to make all kind of content documents” 2015
“I simply use it for so many things in the classroom. For lessons, lesson plans, activities, notes etc.” 2015
“for quick study guides that can be PDF” Louisa van der Linden, 2015
“writing report cards, letters or creating worksheets for students” Theresa Corpus, 2015
“what more to say – a great tool fro producing student guides and job aids” 2015
“My writing tool for longer posts, articles, and of course books, and writing is a powerful force for organizing my thoughts, and a great way to share them and get feedback.” Clark Quinn, 2015
“I use Word on a daily basis for writing procedures, planning trainings, communicating with others, etc.” Jennifer Smith, 2015
“I use this for all of my own word processing, such as making worksheets.” Olivia Seger, 2015
“At work and home, it’s still the main tool I use for documents. at work it is for creating docs like design specifications, RFQ specs, storyboards, scripts; at home for drafting blogposts, academic work (literature reviews, proposal outlines, notes…I’m doing a research masters)” Tanya Lau, 2014
“This could actually be any of three word processing tools – I use NoteTab for quick notes, and Padre for programming. But this year has been a year of documents, and that means Word.” Stephen Downes, 2014
“I write most of my articles and books in Word. The outline feature is critical for me (and the main reason I haven’t switched to Pages, it’s just not industrial strength) in structuring my thoughts, and writing is one of the ways I think out loud.” Clark Quinn, 2014
“grammar check. When writing scripts or anything for elearning ALWAYS do a Word grammar check to eliminate passive voice.” Tricia Ransom, 2014
“Track Changes – for grading” Cameron Bentley 2013
“We program it with macros for writing job aids. Very functional.” Jeff Nelson 2013
“Word – in class, I type up useful vocabulary on Word projected onto the screen – this is easier than using a whiteboard and the information can be saved for later use” Jayne Whistance 2013
“Still my favourite editor (from letter to book)” Urs Frei 2013
“writing to understand: Clark Quinn 2013
Pre-2013 comments
“Microsoft Office is still a staple in my work. I use Word and PowerPoint often and Excel and Outlook less so. I have a ton of documents and spreadsheets ‘in the cloud’ but still find my desktop a better place for non-collaborate writing projects that are still works-in-progress”. Janet Clarey
“outlining and writing. I write by outlines, and I’ve used Word since I bought a Mac II to write my PhD thesis on (now, if Pages had outlining…)” Clark Quinn
“I spend much of my time working in Word. The tracked changes and compare functionality took a little while to work out but I now find it indispensable. Storyboards and design documents always go through many revisions and Word helps me keep track of them all.” Rob Hubbard
“Although, I use GoogleDocs more frequently, I still prefer to do most of my writing using Microsoft Word. However, you never know in the future, as these online processors continue to evolve and the Internet becomes easier to access.” Zaid Algasof
“Depending on the project requirement, I use either Microsoft Word or Powerpoint for developing the storyboards for e-learning courses. I am impressed with the look and feel of Microsoft Office 2007.” Sathish Narayanan
“I can’t imagine my work without Word, Excel and PowerPoint” Jorge Goncalves