Who Decides What Goes Into a Dictionary? The Science
Introduction: Who Controls the Words We Use?
Have you ever wondered who decides which words deserve a place in a dictionary? From everyday expressions and scientific terminology to internet slang and newly invented words, dictionaries reflect the changing ways people communicate. However, adding a word is not simply a matter of personal opinion. Professional lexicographers, linguists, editors, and researchers study how people use language before deciding whether a word should be included.
The process combines scientific observation, historical research, linguistic analysis, and editorial judgment. Dictionaries do not usually tell people which words they are allowed to use. Instead, they document words, explain their meanings, and record how language develops over time. Understanding this process reveals why some expressions enter dictionaries quickly while others remain outside them for years.
Who Decides What Goes Into a Dictionary?
The responsibility generally belongs to lexicographers, specialists who research, define, and document words. They work with editorial teams at dictionary publishers, universities, and language institutions. Their job involves examining written and spoken language, identifying emerging vocabulary, verifying meanings, and preparing accurate definitions.
Different dictionaries follow different editorial policies. An English learner’s dictionary may prioritize common words and practical communication, while a historical dictionary may document vocabulary across centuries. A specialist medical dictionary focuses on technical terminology, and a regional dictionary may emphasize words associated with a particular community.
Consequently, there is no single worldwide authority that determines which words belong in every dictionary. Each publisher establishes its own criteria, informed by the dictionary’s purpose and intended audience. Editors make the final decisions within those guidelines, often consulting subject experts when a word has a specialized meaning.
How Scientific Evidence Helps Choose New Words
Modern dictionary-making relies heavily on corpus linguistics, a branch of linguistics that studies language through large collections of real-world texts. These collections, known as corpora, may include books, newspapers, academic papers, websites, blogs, and other published material. Digital tools help researchers identify how frequently words appear, where they occur, and how their meanings change.
When lexicographers discover a possible new word, they collect examples called citations. Each citation records the word in context, along with information about its source and date. Multiple examples help researchers determine whether the expression is genuinely established or simply an isolated invention. Language researchers use extensive textual evidence to identify vocabulary changes and evaluate potential additions.
Frequency alone, however, is not enough. Researchers also consider distribution, meaning, grammatical function, and continued use. A word appearing thousands of times in copied social media posts may provide weaker evidence of independent adoption than a term appearing across newspapers, professional publications, and everyday writing.
This method makes dictionary editing more evidence-based, although it is not entirely mechanical. Computer software can find patterns, but trained editors must interpret context, distinguish meanings, and decide whether the available evidence justifies a new entry.
What Makes a Word Worth Including?
A major consideration is whether a word is used by enough people, across enough contexts, to be useful to the dictionary’s intended readers. Editors look for repeated usage by independent writers and speakers, evidence from different sources, and signs that the expression has developed a reasonably stable meaning.
The required evidence varies by dictionary. A historical dictionary may document a rare word because it appeared in an important text centuries ago. A concise school dictionary may omit that same word because students are unlikely to encounter it. A technical reference work, meanwhile, may include specialized vocabulary that is uncommon in ordinary conversation.
Editors also examine whether a word has lasting relevance. Internet slang can become popular overnight and disappear within weeks. Other expressions begin in small online communities before spreading into journalism, education, business, and everyday speech. A word’s rapid popularity may justify early investigation, but its future permanence cannot always be predicted.
There is no universal minimum number of appearances or fixed waiting period that applies to every dictionary. Editors assess the quality and variety of evidence in light of their publication’s objectives.
Do Dictionary Editors Decide What Is Correct English?
Dictionary editors generally distinguish between describing language and prescribing how people should use it. A descriptive dictionary records how words are actually used, including informal expressions, regional vocabulary, slang, and terms that some readers may consider controversial.
A prescriptive resource, by contrast, may emphasize preferred spellings, grammatical conventions, or formal usage. Even then, the distinction is not absolute: many dictionaries describe actual usage while providing guidance about standard forms and appropriate contexts.
For example, a dictionary may label a word as informal, archaic, regional, or offensive. These labels explain its social or linguistic context rather than automatically declaring that the word does not exist. Inclusion is not necessarily an endorsement, and exclusion does not prove that an expression is illegitimate.
This approach is important because language differs across generations, professions, regions, and social groups. A dictionary that ignores these differences risks presenting an incomplete picture of how people communicate.
How the Internet Changes Dictionary Decisions
The internet has dramatically accelerated the discovery of new vocabulary. Social media, online forums, digital newspapers, and websites provide researchers with examples of words emerging and spreading in real time. Some expressions that once took years to reach a wide audience can now become internationally recognizable in a much shorter period.
Digital dictionaries also face fewer physical space limitations than printed editions. Online publishers can update entries, add new meanings, revise definitions, and include specialist terminology without waiting for an entirely new printed volume.
However, online popularity creates challenges. A trending expression may be repeated widely without becoming part of long-term language. Algorithms can amplify particular words, while bots, copied content, and short-lived memes can distort apparent popularity. Lexicographers therefore need to distinguish sustained linguistic change from temporary attention.
Social media platforms such as X, formerly Twitter, can provide useful evidence of emerging vocabulary and changing meanings. These sources can reveal how expressions spread through communities, but they must be assessed alongside other linguistic records and contextual evidence.
Why Some Words Are Missing From Dictionaries
A word may be missing because it is too new, appears too rarely, belongs to a highly specialized field, or falls outside the scope of a particular reference work. Printed dictionaries must also consider space, which forces editors to prioritize vocabulary that best serves their readers.
Another important factor is the difference between a word and a meaning. An established word can develop a new sense without changing its spelling. For example, mouse acquired a computing-related meaning alongside its older meaning referring to an animal. Lexicographers may add that sense when evidence shows that it has become established.
Some words also remain limited to a particular region or community. Their absence from a general dictionary does not mean that speakers are using meaningless language. It may simply indicate that the expression has not met that dictionary’s editorial criteria.
Readers can suggest words to publishers, and those suggestions may help editors notice emerging usage. Nevertheless, a request, online petition, or viral campaign cannot substitute for reliable evidence that people actually use the word.
What Happens Before a Word Is Published?
After collecting sufficient evidence, lexicographers research a word’s spelling, pronunciation, grammatical role, meanings, and history. They study how the word behaves in sentences and whether it has multiple senses. When necessary, they consult specialists to verify technical or scientific definitions.
The editor then prepares a definition that explains the meaning clearly and accurately. Supporting information may include example sentences, usage labels, pronunciation guides, etymology, and grammatical details. Other editors review the entry to improve consistency, clarity, and factual accuracy.
The finished entry may undergo further revisions as language changes or new evidence becomes available. Dictionary publication is therefore not always the final stage of a word’s development; it can be part of an ongoing process of linguistic documentation.
Ultimately, dictionaries are carefully edited records of language rather than complete inventories of every expression people use. Their authority comes from the quality of their research, editorial standards, and evidence—not from the power to make words real.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Who decides which words enter a dictionary?
Professional lexicographers and editorial teams decide which words to include, using evidence of real-world language and the dictionary’s editorial criteria.
2. How does a new word get into a dictionary?
A word is identified through language research, supported by examples from reliable sources, examined for meaning and usage, and reviewed by editors before inclusion.
3. Can anyone submit a word to a dictionary?
Yes. Many dictionary publishers accept word suggestions, but editors require evidence of actual usage. A suggestion alone does not guarantee inclusion.
4. Does a word become real when it enters a dictionary?
No. Words can exist and communicate meaning before dictionary recognition. Inclusion documents established usage; it does not create the word itself.
5. Why do dictionaries sometimes disagree about words?
Different dictionaries serve different audiences and follow different editorial policies. Their coverage may vary according to word frequency, subject area, historical evidence, and intended readers.
6. How long does it take for a new word to enter a dictionary?
There is no fixed timeline. Some words require years of evidence, while others gain widespread use quickly and may qualify for earlier consideration.