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Asked by Priya Last Modified
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Saraswathi Srinivasan
Class I-VIII,Nursery-Kg,Spoken English/Telugu/Hindi /Tamil tutor with 20 years experience
a)Oxford English Dictionary:
171,476 words in current use.
47,156 obsolete words.
b)Merriam-Webster:
470,000 entries in its dictionary and addenda.
Estimated 1 million words including scientific terms.
c)Linguists:
Estimates range from 500,000 to 1 million words.
It's important to remember that the English vocabulary is constantly evolving. New words are added due to technology, cultural shifts, and other factors. Therefore, any estimate of its size is a snapshot in time and may not be accurate for long.
Ultimately, focusing on mastering the core vocabulary and understanding word usage in different contexts is more important than memorizing a precise number of words in the English language.
read lessEstimating the exact number of words in the English language is challenging due to its dynamic nature and constant evolution. English is known for its vast vocabulary, with estimates varying widely.
In general, English is believed to have hundreds of thousands of words, if not more. The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) contains over 600,000 words, but this number continues to grow as new words are coined and added regularly.
Moreover, if you include technical terms, jargon, regional dialects, slang, and words from various fields like science, technology, medicine, and others, the vocabulary size expands significantly. Some linguists and lexicographers suggest that when considering all these elements, English could have well over a million words.
However, it's essential to note that active usage of words also varies. While there might be a vast number of words, many are archaic, obsolete, or highly specialized and not commonly used in everyday language.
Estimating the exact number of words in the English language is challenging due to its dynamic nature and constant evolution. English is known for its vast vocabulary, with estimates varying widely.
In general, English is believed to have hundreds of thousands of words, if not more. The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) contains over 600,000 words, but this number continues to grow as new words are coined and added regularly.
Moreover, if you include technical terms, jargon, regional dialects, slang, and words from various fields like science, technology, medicine, and others, the vocabulary size expands significantly. Some linguists and lexicographers suggest that when considering all these elements, English could have well over a million words.
However, it's essential to note that active usage of words also varies. While there might be a vast number of words, many are archaic, obsolete, or highly specialized and not commonly used in everyday language.
Estimating the exact number of words in the English vocabulary is challenging due to the language's dynamic nature, continual evolution, and the inclusion of technical terms, jargon, and new words. English has a vast and growing vocabulary, with estimates ranging from hundreds of thousands to over a million words, including technical and specialized terminology
read less 
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