Dictionaries : Frequently Asked Questions

Here is a List of Frequently Asked Questions about Dictionaries and our answers for them. English is spoken as a First Language by more than 300 million people throughout the world and used as a Second Language by many millions more. One in five of the world's population speaks English with a good level of competence and within the next few years the number of people speaking English as a Second Language will exceed the number of Native Speakers.

This could have a dramatic effect on the evolution of the language. In the process of being absorbed by new cultures, English develops to take account of local language needs, giving rise not just to new vocabulary but also to new forms of grammar and pronunciation.

At the same time, however, standardized Global English is spread by the media and the Internet.

The main regional standards of English are British, US and Canadian, Australian and New Zealand, South African, Indian and West Indian

Within each of these regional varieties a number of highly differentiated local dialects may be found.

This site try to include many regionalisms encountered in different English-speaking areas of the world.

This Page contains Frequently Asked Questions about English. To choose the question of your choice, simply browse the list of questions given below.


• 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?