About

600,000 words … 3.5 million quotations … over 1000 years of English

The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) is widely regarded as the accepted authority on the English language. It is an unsurpassed guide to the meaning, history, and pronunciation of 600,000 words— past and present—from across the English-speaking world.

As a historical dictionary, the OED is very different from dictionaries of current English, in which the focus is on present-day meanings. You’ll still find present-day meanings in the OED, but you’ll also find the history of individual words, and of the language—traced through 3 million quotations, from classic literature and specialist periodicals to film scripts and cookery books.

The OED started life more than 150 years ago. Today, the dictionary is in the process of its first major revision. Updates revise and extend the OED at regular intervals, each time subtly adjusting our image of the English language.

Highlights OED Labs – Our goal is to further develop the OED’s offering to actively support the needs of academic research as they evolve in the coming years. Take a look at new ways to access OED data, including the OED Researcher API and the OED Text Visualizer.

– Our goal is to further develop the OED’s offering to actively support the needs of academic research as they evolve in the coming years. Take a look at new ways to access OED data, including the OED Researcher API and the OED Text Visualizer. Video guides : Take a look at our short guides to help you get the most out of your OED access.

: Take a look at our short guides to help you get the most out of your OED access. Interactive graphic: Whether by sudden invention or unhurried evolution, words come into the English language in all manner of ways. The Oxford English Dictionary’s mission is to record all of these word stories, capturing their development as they continue to unfold.

Our interactive journey on how OMG made it into the OED explains all.

Subscribe Personal Subscriptions : We are pleased to offer annual individual OED subscriptions at a reduced rate of £90 (usually £215) or $90 (usually $295) until March 31 2021.

: We are pleased to offer annual individual OED subscriptions at a reduced rate of £90 (usually £215) or $90 (usually $295) until March 31 2021. Libraries and institutions: Annual subscriptions are available for institutions. Register now for a free 30-day trial and to request pricing information. For customers within the Americas, please use this form. For customers outside of the Americas, please use this form. If you have any other queries, please don’t hesitate to contact us The OED today What’s new : every three months updates revise existing entries and add new words

: every three months updates revise existing entries and add new words The OED today : discover the 21st century OED and find out more about the revision programme, how to read an entry, and how to use the online OED

: discover the 21st century OED and find out more about the revision programme, how to read an entry, and how to use the online OED Aspects of English : informative and entertaining commentaries on the English language, written by dictionary editors and specialist authors

: informative and entertaining commentaries on the English language, written by dictionary editors and specialist authors Historical Thesaurus of the OED : now fully incorporated into OED Online, the Historical Thesaurus of the OED arranges the dictionary by meaning. Trace the changing language of the material world, the mind, and society, from the Anglo-Saxon period to the modern day

: now fully incorporated into OED Online, the Historical Thesaurus of the OED arranges the dictionary by meaning. Trace the changing language of the material world, the mind, and society, from the Anglo-Saxon period to the modern day Video shorts: a series of videos now live examines how the OED is produced behind the scenes

OED resource centres For students and teachers : using the OED for research, study, and teaching

: using the OED for research, study, and teaching For librarians : ideas and guides for getting the most from your subscription

: ideas and guides for getting the most from your subscription Frequently asked questions: some questions often asked by users of OED Online

History of the OED The OED has been the last word on words for over a century. Explore its history