During my peregrinations on the web I came across the Lexico website. As the name implies, it’s a website that is concerned with words. It’s very much a mixed bag.

The menu on the right shows some of what’s on the site. There’s also a list of trending words. I am not sure where the data comes from, but we are informed that these are the most popular in the world. I find that difficult to believe, given that at the time of writing the words are:

1. incoming

2. windscreen

3. scirrhous cord

4. treen

5. tensile strength

The section on word lists seems to consist mainly of words with which to impress people, and perhaps to win games of Scrabble. (For example, there is a list of words that contain the letter ‘q’ without a following letter ‘u’.

One of the lists could be useful though. That’s the one on unusual phobias.

There is also a section on frequently confused words, with mini-articles and good examples.

Clearly, the benefits of the website are that it should be up-to-date much of the time, it’s on hand if you happen to be working in a cafe or a library, and it’s free. It’s also a place where one can enjoyably pass the time.

I don’t think, however, that the serious writer can get away with relying on a website like this. My own preference is the Collins Complete Writing Guide, followed closely by Dreyer’s English.