Counting the total number of words used in a language is complex.
There is no standard definition of what constitutes a unique entry. Comparisons are particularly difficult between alphabetic and non-alphabetic languages.
Dictionary size comparison
With European languages, dictionary size is a useful reference point. Though each is compiled differently, the evidence suggests that the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) has the largest vocabulary.
- The Second Edition of the OED was published in 1989. It has 20 volumes and defines over 600,000 words.
- The Swedish and German dictionaries have around 500,000 entries, but these include a large number of compounds.
- A Russian language dictionary has around 160,000 words
- A French edition has fewer than 150,000 words, but this is partly because of stricter rules about accepting foreign 'loanwords.
What is a word? A surprisingly complex question