dictionaries

Where can I find statistics about count of words starting by letter?

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I have found only this statistic: Words by Length Words by First and Second Letter But I want to find words count which start by z and x (or any other letter) Does anybody know such stat? Answer I thinks this might be what you are looking for, Scrabble dictionary statistics for 187630 words: https://www.unscramblerer.com/scrabble-twl-dictionary-statistics/ … Read more

Is “deacceleratingly” a valid word?

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Deaccelerate means the same as decelerate, though it seems to be a much less common alternative. I did not know this until recently, as I had used this alternative all my life. It just seemed logical to me, deaccelerate is accelerate with a negative prefix. I came to believe that deaccelerate was the “father” of … Read more

Is “his husband” valid?

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I was surprised to see "his husband" in the Cambridge dictionary’s entry for compliment: He complained that his husband never paid him any compliments anymore. Isn’t that a mistake? Or is Cambridge talking about something homosexual? Answer The answer to the question “Is ‘his husband’ valid?” (in the English language) is “Yes, yes it is” … Read more

Use of “low” in a dictionary definition as a paralexical indicator

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What is the meaning of “low” in this definition? puff, … 4. Life; existence: tailors’ > (low) gen.: from ca. 1880. As in never in one’s puff, never … In Eric Partridge’s Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English, eighth edition (1984), page 930, entry for “puff”. Notes: 1. The sign > means become(s); became. 2. … Read more

What word describes the act of convincing someone to buy you a meal or drink?

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The context of this question is as followed: I was in a meeting where two people had placed a bet on the outcome of an event. The deal was that the loser would buy the winner a drink. As they were discussing the possibilities of different outcomes, one said to another “don’t worry I am … Read more

Is waterfall a place or a fall of water?

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The Cambridge Dictionary defines ‘waterfall’ in this way: water, especially from a river or stream, dropping from a higher to a lower point, sometimes from a great height. However, the Collins Dictionary defines ‘waterfall’ as a place where water flows over the edge of a steep, high cliff in hills or mountains, and falls into … Read more

Is “startlement” a word?

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I have always thought that startlement is a word in the lexicon. But one day when I was writing in a google doc, I saw it underlined like a typo. I googled it to see if it was indeed a word, or a construct of my imagination, and I found very contradicting answers. It wasn’t … Read more

Is the Concise Oxford Dictionary British English?

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Last year I submitted a manuscript to a journal. The guidelines said that it can be written in British English or in American English, but not mixed. So I chose British English. Now I must resubmit after revision, and see that they changed the guidelines, which are now: English spelling should follow the Concise Oxford … Read more

Missing definition of “night and day”

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I am trying to see if the colloquial usage of night and day is non-standard and is improper register, or if it is simply an ommitted definition in the dictionaries: night and day: Describing a contrast between two completely different things, often one that has resulted in improvement. Often preceded by “like.” The context is … Read more