3 ms·
> I love this about English! We are the most prolific word thieves of all time. It's impressive. English language: ~500,000 words. German language: ~135,000 wo
by xnx 9mo ago
> I love this about English! We are the most prolific word thieves of all time.
It's impressive. English language: ~500,000 words. German language: ~135,000 words.
- Antibabelic 9mo agoWhere do these numbers come from?
- xnx 9mo agoMultiple sources have those approximate numbers. Here's one: https://www.merriam-webster.com/help/faq-how-many-english-words https://www.merriam-webster.com/help/faq-how-many-english-wo... "Webster's Third New International Dictionary, Unabridged, together with its 1993 Addenda Section, includes some 470,000 entries. The Oxford English Dictionary, Second Edition, reports that it includes a similar number."