Which Dictionary Should Freelance Book Editors Use?

“Look it up in the dictionary.”

Great advice, right? But which dictionary? Whether Webster’s, Urban Dictionary, or the OED, what authority does it have?

You’re editing along and see the word “ice box.” (It’s still winter here in Vermont.) Your document spellchecker (or is that spell-checker? yep, that’s Webster’s variant too) doesn’t flag it so it must be right. Right? The trade book publishing industry’s standard word reference is Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary. In Webster’s, it’s “icebox.”

A mindblower: U.S. English dictionaries are not word bibles or rulebooks (our document spellchecker approves, but Webster’s says “rule book”).

So Webster’s is in charge. Wait, no! According to Merriam-Webster’s lexicographers, the dictionary is a moment’s snapshot of how people are using words IRL.

Did you just make up a frabjous word? For a word to get into the dictionary, lots of people need to be using it in varied settings (e.g., no lingo specific to an industry unless it comes into general use).

Does the fact that irregardless is in the dictionary make you feel stabby? Webster’s doesn’t list the awesome adjective stabby. Yet.