The Chambers Dictionary

Probably the best single-volume dictionary around. Its mission to include more unusual words makes it a great browse as well.

It loses marks for me for its irritating home pronunciation system; and it's decidedly patchy on archiac or obsolete words and definitions. For a little more money I'd go for the 2-volume Shorter OED, which gives you IPA, much more detailed etymologies, supporting citations, and better coverage of obsolete words. As a single volume, though, this'll probably give you the most bang for your buck.

I bought this dictionary because I heard it contained a sprinkling of eccentric definitions ("éclair : long in shape but short in duration") and I was eager to discover them. It also contains more archaisms and dialectal terms than other English dictionaries.

I won this dictionary as a prize for a Creativity column contest in The Independent, a progressive British newspaper. It's a wonderful dictionary; haven't felt the need for another. And I love the Britishness of the motto on its spine: The First Choice of Many. Well, it's honest...

What I'd like to know is, are there any dictionaries that include the finer nuances that we all know but never articulate? For example, how the word "spry" is almost always used for older people who are fit (you never speak of a "spry" three-year-old)?

An essential book in every collection! I grew up using Chambers and have never lived in a house without an edition of this comprehensive dictionary. Must-have for Scrabble!

The single volume dictionary par excellence.