What does lexicographer mean?
Word: Lexicographer
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Lexicographer means a person whose job is to write, edit or put together dictionaries.
How do you spell lexicographer?
Syllables: lex - i - cog - ra - pher
Tricky part: The f sound near the end is written ph, as in phone and alphabet, so lexicografer is wrong.
Watch out for: lexicografer, lexicographor
Memory tip: Picture a dictionary page headed PH: the f sound in this job title is spelt with those two letters.
Lexicographer in a sentence
Example 1: A lexicographer reads newspapers, novels and websites to find words that are new.
Example 2: My aunt works as a lexicographer and keeps a notebook of new words she hears on the bus.
Example 3: Each lexicographer on the team checks the entries for a different letter of the alphabet.
Fun Fact
Samuel Johnson spent about nine years on his Dictionary of the English Language, published in 1755, and he slipped a joke about his own job into the entry for lexicographer.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Cookie
Insert the correct pair of letters to form a word:
lex_c_grapher
a) i,a
b) e,o
c) a,o
d) i,o
Show answer
d) i,o. The word is said lek-si-KOG-ra-fer, so the beats before and on the stress take i and o.
Spell-o-Spell
Three of these words are spelt correctly. Choose the meaning of the misspelt one:
1. glossery 2. lexicographer 3. etymology 4. thesaurus
a) the study of where words come from and how they changed
b) a person who writes and edits dictionaries
c) a book that groups together words with similar meanings
d) a list of difficult words with their meanings, often at the back of a book
Show answer
d) a list of difficult words with their meanings, often at the back of a book. Glossary has an a before its r, which makes glossery the misspelt one.
Word Cookie
Find the extra letter in the word:
lexicoggrapher
a) x
b) g
c) o
d) r
Show answer
b) g. The -grapher part has one g, as in photographer.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. A lexicographer is most likely to spend the day
a) deciding how to explain a new word
b) repairing old books in a library
c) teaching young pupils to read aloud
d) choosing paintings for a gallery
Show answer
a) deciding how to explain a new word
2. Which of these would a lexicographer find most useful?
a) a set of maps of rivers and coasts
b) a large collection of real sentences
c) a box of photographs of buildings
d) a pile of recipes from many countries
Show answer
b) a large collection of real sentences
