The number of words you need to learn is... zero. Unless you're one of the 5 people who know either book cold, you've already made a conscious decision to be unbooked to a degree, and I've yet to hear a peep from those five folks against dictionary unification. In fact I'd hazard to say that they are some of the most vocal proponents.

The degree to which you wish to remain unbooked is your choice. The cries of those who worry about how many words they HAVE to learn riddle me. There is a continuum of study effort that to some degree determines your place on the continuum of ranking. Your position on the first continuum is entirely your own choice AND completely independent of the dictionary being studied. Methinks that the biggest objections come from those who wish to maintain their position on the latter continuum while maintaining a low profile on the former. The advent of dictionary unification threatens them because players who study but haven't accumulated enough knowledge to yet pass them should now do so albeit only on a faster timetable then they would have otherwise.

Last Modified 9/25/00

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