Oxford English Dictionary (2024)

FAQs

Can I use the Oxford English Dictionary for free? ›

Via a library

Most libraries offer remote access. This means that, if you are a member of your local library, you can access the OED online for free anywhere you have internet access.

Easy to use. Choose 'English' from the search box options to look up any word in the dictionary. The complete A-Z is available for free: read meanings, examples and usage notes; listen to British and American English pronunciations; expand images to view related vocabulary.

The New Oxford American Dictionary is the American version of the Oxford Dictionary of English, with substantial editing and uses a diacritical respelling scheme rather than the IPA system.

The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) is widely accepted as the most complete record of the English language ever assembled.

Lexico, Oxford's free online dictionary, had closed on 26 Aug 2022.

The Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary is the world's bestselling advanced level dictionary for learners of English.

Merriam-Webster: America's Most Trusted Dictionary.

The Oxford and Cambridge dictionaries have long been considered as the two most credible and trustworthy for British English. In terms of popularity, the Oxford dictionary is the more popular of the two in the UK and is generally cited as the ultimate authority on the language.

The Oxford advanced learner's dictionary is the world's bestselling advanced level dictionary for learners of English.

Is the Oxford English Dictionary accurate? ›

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 usage of 500,000 words and phrases past and present, from across the English-speaking world.

Merriam-Webster, Incorporated is an American company that publishes reference books and is mostly known for its dictionaries. It is the oldest dictionary publisher in the United States.

We and/or our licensors are the owners of all intellectual property rights in the Website, and the Website and the materials on the Website are protected by intellectual property laws around the world including copyright and trade mark laws.

Because the OED is a well-known reference work, it only needs to be cited within a note, not the bibliography, per 14.232 in The Chicago Manual of Style.

Creating a personal OED account is quick and easy to do. You can create a personal account even if you have access to OED content via a library subscription, or even if you don't intend to purchase your own subscription.

If you're accessing the Oxford English Dictionary via a library database and you know who the author is, this is how you cite it. Author's Last Name, First Name. “Title of Entry.” Title of Encyclopedia or Dictionary, edited by Editor's First Name Last Name, Edition if given and not first edition, vol.