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A comparison of Oxford's Classic Dictionaries

Oxford English Dictionary (OED)	The Compact OED	Oxford English Dictionary (OED) on CD	The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary 6th Edition	The Concise Oxford Dictionary 11th Edition, 2004 Revised 2008
20 Volumes, or CD	1 volume	2 CDs	2 vol., (CD)	1 volume or CD
16 original volumes (1928), 2nd edition (1989) 4 vol. Supplements (1972-1986) integrated	with magnify glass, same content as 20 volume OED	same content as 20 volume OED plus Additions Series (1-3), published in 1993 and 1997, + 7,000 words	6th edition published in 2007	published 2004
500,000 words defined, English useage from 1150 to 1986, 137,000 pronunciations, 249,300 etymologies, 577,000 cross-references	Same content as 20 volume OED	Same content as 20 volume OED +	500,000 plus definitions with 2,500 definitions added in the 6th (2007) edition, definitions and examples based on usage from 1700 forward but also includes words used by Shakespeare	240,000 words, phrases, and meanings with current English definitions from US, Canada, Australia, New Zeeland, South Africa, and India.
3 Addition Series Volumes contain 9,000 new words and include words added to English through 1997. Purchase separately.	Purchase separately the 3 Addition Series Volumes	Contents of Addition series Volumes added in version 3.0, plus 7,000 added words

These dictionaries are know for their accurate and extensive coverage of English. The least extensive dictionary is the The Concise Oxford Dictionary. This is a very appropriate name because it has an extensive coverage of contemporary English written in a concise format. When this dictionary leaves you feeling like you need more information to fully understand a word you can turn to the Shorter which has a similar lay out but with a lot more information. If you normally use The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary you can turn to the Oxford English Dictionary when you need more information. This is one of the things that makes this family of classic dictionaries so valuable.