How to play LexForge

1 · The court

Each round, a single word is on trial. Below it you'll see three pieces of evidence — is it in the major dictionaries? how long and how widely has it been used? does it have one settled meaning? Read all three.

2 · Your verdict

Rule on the word with one of three verdicts:

• In the dictionary — accepted: widely used, with a settled meaning.
• Disputed — real and recorded, but flagged (informal / nonstandard / contested).
• Not a word — no real use, no settled meaning; no dictionary records it.

3 · The ruling 🔑

After you rule, the court explains how lexicographers actually decide: a word earns its place by being used, with a shared meaning — usage, not authority, makes a word (that idea is called descriptivism). Right or wrong, you'll see the reasoning and the decisive piece of evidence — no points lost.

Watch out: some real words look invented (kerfuffle, gobbledygook) and some invented words look real. That's the whole point — go by the evidence, not by how a word sounds.

4 · Work the docket

Rule on the whole docket. There's no timer and no streak to lose — take your time on each case.

← Open the court