List of dictionaries by number of words

This is a list of dictionaries considered authoritative or complete by approximate number of total words, or headwords, included.

number of words in a language.

[1][2] In compiling a dictionary, a lexicographer decides whether the evidence of use is sufficient to justify an entry in the dictionary.

This decision is not the same as determining whether the word exists.

[citation needed] The green background means a given dictionary is the largest in a given language.