Macmillan Dictionary Blog | Vocabulary | Adults | Onestopenglish (2024)

FAQs

How many pages are in the Macmillan dictionary? ›

Dictionaries are such enduring language teaching tools because of the value they add to teachers and students. From our review of case studies and other relevant literature, we've identified five key ways in which they can really support learners.

A good dictionary can help you understand your subject better, improve your communication and improve your grades by making sure you are using words correctly.

Dictionaries can be a great way for your child to find out new words and improve their vocabulary – but not just any will do. For your child to get the most out of a dictionary, it has to include words they are likely to hear and use at home and school.

It shares most of the features of this type of dictionary: it provides definitions in simple language, using a controlled defining vocabulary; most words have example sentences to illustrate how they are typically used; and information is given about how words combine grammatically or in collocations.

Well, the average reading speed is 250 words per minute, from what I've found there's 171,476 words in the most recent Oxford dictionary. 171,476/250 = 685.904, times that by three to get 2057.712 minutes. Which translates to roughly 1.4 days if you read without taking a break.

Physical dictionaries may be facing some stiff competition, but they are a long way from obsolete. A printed dictionary confers a sense of trust and authority users can never be quite so sure of when checking something online.

Most general English dictionaries are designed to include only those words that meet certain criteria of usage across wide areas and over extended periods of time (for more details about how words are chosen for dictionary entry, read "How does a word get into a Merriam-Webster dictionary?").

Some words recently hit the chopping block in the Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary—meaning they're no longer included in the print edition. These include Vitamin G, snollygoster, hodad, frutescent, and sternforemost. Each of these terms has the necessary attribute of just not being useful or used anymore.

With dictionaries, unknown words become solvable mysteries. Why leave them up to guesswork? Wikipedia and Google answer questions with more questions, opening up pages of information you never asked for. But a dictionary builds on common knowledge, using simple words to explain more complex ones.

What is the best dictionary in the world? ›

The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) is widely accepted as the most complete record of the English language ever assembled. Unlike typical language dictionaries, which only define words in terms of their current uses and meanings, the OED is a historical dictionary.

Some scholars argue that dictionary use can slow down reading and lead to a loss in comprehension. It can also encourage students to focus on isolated words rather than the overall text. Additionally, writers may use words and expressions that they don't fully understand.

A dictionary should not be used when a deeper analysis of a concept is needed beyond the common usage, and when dealing with mixed constructions in English which require context or syntax understanding.

There's a good reason why print dictionaries are still a staple in classrooms and libraries around the country. That's because while plenty of dictionary resources are available online, a paper dictionary is a must-have tool for literacy.

A dictionary is the first indispensable resource to improve your vocabulary. It's only by looking up a word in a dictionary that you will learn its precise meaning, spelling, alternate definitions, and find additional useful information about it.

In 1933, the title The Oxford English Dictionary fully replaced the former name in all occurrences in its reprinting as 12 volumes with a one-volume supplement. More supplements came over the years until 1989, when the second edition was published, comprising 21,728 pages in 20 volumes.

With more than 22,000 pages of definitions, nearly 2.5 illustrative quotations from writers as disparate as Geoffrey Chaucer and Erica Jong, William Shakespeare... Review: The Oxford English Dictionary has long been considered the ultimate reference work in English lexicography.

The largest dictionary of the English-language is the Oxford English Dictionary.