New Word

How do you decide If a New Word should go in an Oxford Dictionary?


We conduct a Reading Programme to collect examples of words in use. If we have enough examples to show that a word has genuinely achieved currency, then we add it to our list of candidates for inclusion and the editors research its usage and draft an entry. The general rule of thumb for the OED is that any word can be included which appears five times in five different printed sources over a period of five years. Oxford's smaller dictionaries of current English may include words with a shorter history.


Once a word has come to our attention, we will investigate sources such as film scripts or transcripts of broadcasts if they are available and seem likely to add to our knowledge of the word's origin.


See also:

Will you put the word I have invented into one of your dictionaries?


Related Links :


• Is there An Official Committee which regulates the English language?
• Do you include words used on the Internet?
• Are Lexicographers good spellers?
• Are Dictionaries really necessary?
• Are dictionaries always in Alphabetical Order?
• What is a Dictionary?

• What are the Oxford Dictionary?
• Are other languages recorded in huge Multi-Volume Dictionaries?
• Do Dictionary-Makers ever make mistakes?
• What is the chronology of events relevant to the history of the OED?
• How can I access Dictionary Online?

• How do you decide What To Include in a dictionary?
• How do you decide If a New Word should go in an Oxford Dictionary?
• Will the Dictionary-Makers put MY NEW WORD into their dictionaries?
• How will be a Dictionary In 2050?
• How has Computer Technology affected dictionary-making?

• How do you know what a word means?
• Dictionaries have changed over the years. How?
• When will the Third Edition of the OED be published?
• What skills and talents does a Lexicographer need?
• How will The Revision affect the size of the OED?

Follow These Links!