If the dictionary were a holy book, every teenager would be a heretic—and that’s exactly how it should be.

The Traditional Rule:

If it’s not in the dictionary, it’s not a real word. Dictionaries are the gatekeepers of valid English. They define correctness and settle disputes.

Why It’s Broken:

Because dictionaries are records of language use, not bibles. They follow usage — they don’t lead it. And they lag behind reality. The average English speaker coins, mangles, borrows, and blends new words daily. By the time a word makes it into a dictionary, it’s been living rent-free in our mouths and online feeds for years.

Also: dictionaries contradict each other, disagree across regions, and revise their content constantly. So which one is the “truth”?

Absurdities and Contradictions:

• “Ain’t” was banned for decades — now it’s in every modern dictionary.

• “Funner” was “not a word” — until enough people used it that it had to be included.

• “Literally” now includes its opposite — because people kept saying “I literally died” and not dying.

• “Selfie,” “YOLO,” and “doomscroll” got added after being mocked — now they’re immortalized.

• “Irregardless” exists despite everyone saying it shouldn’t.

So which is it: is the dictionary protecting English? Or documenting its unstoppable march?

Real-Life Usage Wins Every Time: