Tile Frequency

   The OWL probably contains upwards of 11,700 words that cannot be found in any of the four dictionaries used to update the Official Word List in 2006.  These words were found in earlier dictionaries and were grandfathered into the Second Edition of the Official Tournament and Club Word List.

   How did I arrive at the estimate of 11,700.  I combed through  the four dictionaries to see how many of the official two-five letter words were missing.  I came up with 1,262.  This is about 9% of the 14,084 two-five letter words found in OWL.  The OWL contains 131,097 words total.  By extrapolation 9% of the total words is about 11,700.

Following is the text that Jim Pate sent me in answer to a question about why I couldn't find ZEK and other words in any of the dictionaries last used to update the OWL.

They should be deleted from OSPD.  Whoever plays a language game should know that language is dynamic, and that there is absolutely no excuse for retaining a former word that no longer meets the criteria for acceptance.  Many of the words on the list might never have been included if better selectivity had been used.  When lexicographers make corrections and updates, who are NASPA types to overrule them?  The game deserves better. 

Dan Pratt

Cornelia Guest published my article "Is that really a word?" in her newsletter.  So far, I've received two emails about the article.  One argueing strongly for removing "vanished" words.  The other argueing strongly for retaining them.