Lexicon

Definition

A lexicon is the vocabulary of a language or an individual — the full inventory of words available for use. Your mental lexicon is the personal word bank you draw on when solving and communicating.

Why it matters

A larger, well-organised lexicon directly improves candidate generation and overall language fluency.

Examples

• A native speaker's lexicon spans tens of thousands of words.
• Specialist fields add domain-specific lexicons.

Best practices

• Grow your lexicon through deliberate word capture.
• Organise it into networks for faster retrieval.

Frequently asked