How many total words in the English language?

There's no definitive answer to how many words are in the English language! It depends on what you consider a "word":

* Dictionary definitions: Dictionaries vary greatly in size and scope. The Oxford English Dictionary (OED), considered the most comprehensive, lists over 600,000 words.

* Technical and specialized terms: Fields like science, medicine, and technology constantly generate new words, making it impossible to count them all.

* Proper nouns: Names of people, places, and organizations are technically words, but they are countless.

* Slang and informal words: These change frequently and are not always recognized in dictionaries.

So, the number of words in the English language is constantly evolving and impossible to definitively count.