Thread by @thegridkid

/not a defensive thread, just hoping to peel back the curtain in the spirit of thoughtfulness/

"Cmonnn @thegridkid" "WTF have you NEVER come across this??" "Get a better dictionary!!!"

You're right, though – Merriam-Webster has it! So why not just use M-W all the time?

1) no definition ❌
2) only listed as two words ❌
3) only listed as a capitalized term ❌

In fact, all three of these once upon a time weren't in the Bee's word list, probably for these reasons. They all are now. We'd get the same tweets/emails otherwise. We already did!

So ... should ECHOLOCATE have been allowed in hindsight, with the above in mind?

Its omission from three major lexicons still seems striking.

But also, it does check out and get usage elsewhere, and so many of you knew it, yeah?

What's the right answer? Is there one?

Meanwhile, throw in "familiarity" and "fairness" considerations with Spelling Bee, so as to optimize a fun, solvable puzzle for tons of different people out there ... and wowie, does that make for one arbitrary word list.

Because *of course* it is! You try to tailor a "one size fits all" list, and every last solver is bound to have their "Really??" moments. Thanks for this one yesterday, Dad 😂😳

(P.S.: OTOTOMY gets the red-underline treatment as I type it here, and it's not listed in Apple's dictionary or M-W)

And – with apologies to Dad – but did you know OTOTOMY? Maybe you did, and you're equally incredulous!

It's fascinating how one person's sweet spot is another's "???." I wish more were able to fathom how much this varies from solver to solver.

Not a put-down – I mean this lightheartedly! But I can't tell you how often I see juxtapositional tweets like:

"@thegridkid leans waaay too heavy into obscure science words, and needs to learn more about food"

"@thegridkid less obscure food, more science words pls"

But back to dictionaries. No shade, but y'all just make my word list that much more quirky with ECHOLOCATE this and UNINDICTED that

Why not ECHOLOCATE nor UNINDICTED in certain dictionaries?

I dunno. I'm not a lexicographer, I'm a puzzle maker. Sure seems arbitrary at times, though.

... Guess I know how you all feel daily.

This is all to say:
1) *All* lexicons are arbitrary, to a degree. Not only in personal wheelhouses, but all the way up to the best dictionaries out there, which I love, use and nowadays interpret every day.

2) It's only natural to disagree with many of my editorial decisions! But, with the above in mind, you can't just power the list with a single dictionary. You're still gonna get arbitrary, *and* it's gonna be unfiltered.

3) The editing itself goes way deeper than just "Sam just doesn't know this word smh"

I make logical calls in my mind – after research – that will always seem weird and arbitrary to others ... because everybody's wheelhouse is also beautifully logical and weird and arbitrary!

Anyway, it's a privilege to continue evolving this wild game we know and love, and to learn so incredibly much about the shared language we all speak.

Love ya #hivemind ♥️🐝✌️

(P.S.: I know I make mistakes, too!! And sometimes I might simply disagree. But I'm always here to listen.)