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to the definitive record of the English language.
Oxford Languages Word of the Year 2020
2020 has been anything but ordinary, and this is a year which cannot be neatly accommodated into one single word. Download our Words of an Unprecedented Year report for the full story.
March 2021 update
Our latest update: over 1,400 new words, sub-entries, and revisions have been added to the Oxford English Dictionary in our latest update, including gender pay gap, me-too, essential worker, and ally.
Release notes: learn more about the words added to the OED this quarter in our new word notes by OED Revision Editor, Jonathan Dent.
Release notes: read about the revision of shirttail in our blog post by OED Executive Editor, Graeme Diamond.
Release notes: discover how our pronunciation editors are documenting words containing an X in an article by Head of Pronunciations, Catherine Sangster.
Release notes: find out about the Bermudian English words that have been added to the OED this quarter in a fascinating article by Bermudian English consultant, Dr Rosemary Hall.
New features
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New interactive graphic: How do words enter the OED with our interactive graphic.
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Video guides: Our series of short video guides show you how to get the most out of your OED access.
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New tools for researchers: We are developing a new OED Researcher API to enhance academic research. Learn more and register your interest in testing the prototype