The lowdown on dictionaries

Constance Hale — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 22:09:40 +0000

There are a gazillion dictionaries out there, and some are much more respected than other. Many people think “Webster’s” is the key word, but it’s actually meaningless; what matters is the publisher and its reputation for lexicography. Here’s a roundup on the dictionaries editors tend to favor, with a bit of explanation as to why.

Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary (just released in its 11^th edition). This is the dictionary most often used by copy editors at magazines and books, for its careful lexicography and usage notes.

Webster’s New World Dictionary, Third Edition. This dictionary preferred by many newspapers, because it tends to add terms more rapidly, so it gives newspapers a way of being consistent in their pages.

American Heritage Dictionary. This is a favorite of many wordsmiths, for its extensive usage notes.

Random House Unabridged Dictionary. If you’ve got a huge budget and a big bookshelf, this is a wonderful dictionary to have in addition to either MW 11 or Webster’s New World.

Oxford English Dictionary. If you’ve got an even huger budget and a bigger bookshelf, go for this 20+ volume dictionary, which includes citations all the way back to Beowulf. This is one for real dictionary snobs: The citations go back as far as the dictionary researchers can trace a word, so you can see how Chaucer, Shakespeare, and Mark Twain used it. It has even been the subject of a bestseller, The Madman and the Dictionary, by Simon Winchester. (Oxford also publishes smaller dictionaries, which are reputable, but not usually preferred by American publishers.)

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The lowdown on dictionaries