Oxford dictionaries words blog8/18/2023 ![]() OED’s editors consider thousands of word suggestions every year, reviewing each and every one. The OED is also a live record of emerging language. Is a kiwi a fruit, a flightless bird, a New Zealander, a soldier, a sportsman, a brand of boot polish or all of them? And which language does it derive from? The OED can answer this as well as give you examples of usage over time and in context. That said, there are many freely available online dictionaries worth looking at such as Cambridge, Merriam-Webster and Collins if you just want a quick look-up.Ĭhecking against more than source is also advisable. If you have to cite the derivation of a word or describe its change of meaning over time, the OED is a much more credible source to use in your bibliography or footnote than one found in an online chat forum. Sign up for a free trial today to find out how it works.Although just Googling the meaning of a word might seem simpler than looking it up in the Oxford English Dictionary, using an authoritative source has its advantages. How to Become a Proofreaderįor more on how to approach spelling and style as a proofreader, our Becoming A Proofreader course has you covered. International clients and publishers may well ask you to use “Oxford” conventions. As a result, many international organizations use it, including the United Nations, the World Trade Organization, NATO, Interpol, the Worldwide Fund for Nature, the Red Cross, and Amnesty International.Ĭonsequently, you should always check your client’s instructions on this count. However, Oxford spelling is also considered an international form of English. Likewise, many other publishers and publications have adopted this spelling style, including the scientific journal Nature, Encyclopædia Britannica, and Cambridge University Press. Thus, if you’re ever working on something published by the OUP, you’ll need to keep the rules above in mind. But when this happens, the main entry (i.e., the top spelling on the page) will be the “Oxford” spelling.Īs mentioned above, the OUP uses Oxford spelling in all of its publications. ![]() These dictionaries will have both “z” and “s” spellings for many words. But for alternative options (without a subscription fee), you can try online dictionaries that use this approach to spelling, such as the Cambridge Dictionary or the Lexico website. The best choice here is the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) given that it is published by the OUP. If you’re not sure which spelling to use for a term, check a dictionary that uses Oxford spelling.
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