What is the primary purpose of a dictionary?

Answer 1

Overall a dictionary gives us a list of all the words in a language, which are either in general use, or are of particular historic interest, or are likely to be met in reading old books, plays or poetry.

For any one word, a good dictionary give us, in likely order...

# the correct spelling # a guide to the correct pronunciation # what part of speech it is, and other grammatical information # the meaning - or meanings, if there are different meanings # a sample phrase or sentence containing the word # the etymology of the word (its derivation) # words which are closely related to it.

Answer 2

If dictionaries could standardize the language, all the people on earth would speak one standard version of English and the language would use rational spelling. All irregular verbs would become regular. We would use the ed ending on all past tenses. When Alice thinks, "Curiouser and curiouser," she would be using correct English. No.

A dictionary simply tells how words have been used in the past and how they have been spelled in the past.

Answer 3

to find out what words mean and their correct spellings