Dictionaries are the best guide and handy tools for language learners. Before the Internet, dictionaries are where we turned to when we had to find out the definition of a word or expression. In our article, we discuss the best English language dictionaries in our opinion. Read on below and see if you agree.
• Samuel Johnson’s Dictionary of the English Language – Johnson began writing his dictionary to uphold the perfection of the English language, but soon incorporated the lingo of the commonfolk too. You will even find subjective definitions and terms in his dictionary, which make for an interesting read.
• Oxford English Dictionary – Perhaps the greatest dictionary the English language has ever seen, it contains almost every word in contemporary English usage across dialects. It keeps updating itself quarterly so that it never misses out on a new-word coinage or usage. If you want to pick up a dictionary to look over the meaning of a word, you ought to pick up the OED and nothing else.
Other dictionaries such as The Urban Dictionary conceived much later helps out English speakers with contemporary slang usage and abbreviations that are currently on trend and are also worth checking out, if one has the time.