* The Oxford English Dictionary (OED): This is considered the most comprehensive dictionary of the English language. It lists over 600,000 words, but includes historical words and variations that are no longer in common use.
* Merriam-Webster: This is a more commonly used dictionary. It has 470,000 words, but still includes archaic and specialized terms.
* Active vocabulary: This refers to the words a person actually knows and uses. For a native English speaker, it could be 20,000-35,000 words.
* Passive vocabulary: This refers to words a person understands when they hear or read them, but doesn't necessarily use themselves. This is much larger than active vocabulary.
Therefore, the size of the English vocabulary depends on what you're considering:
* Total vocabulary: over 600,000 words
* Commonly used vocabulary: around 470,000 words
* Active vocabulary: 20,000-35,000 words
* Passive vocabulary: much larger than active vocabulary
It's also important to remember that English is a constantly evolving language, with new words being added all the time.