hello i wrote jack lynch professor at rutledge univ of th century literature his talks includes works involving dictionaries he responded concerning definition of dictionary with dictionary has had a wide range of applications over the centuries since the word dictionary has been used with this meaning by extension a book of information or reference on any subject or branch of knowledge the items of which are arranged in alphabetical order an alphabetical encyclop dia as a dictionary of architecture biography geography of the bible of christian antiquities of dates etc there are all sorts of reference works we'd be likely to call other things encyclopedias gazetteers and so on that have been called dictionaries by their makers in these cases the essential sense word book is supplanted by the accidental one of reference book in alphabetical order arising out of the alphabetical arrangement used in modern word books my reason for contacting professor lynch was the result of a curriculum director denying my published phonetic dictionary to her school relating that the reference book was not a 'real' dictionary now the dictionary is in public library collections in canada mexico the netherlands and of course since it's an american english phonetic dictionary is in over u s public libraries i am the lexicographer and would like to include gabby's wordspeller phonetic dictionary into the dictionary collection and since it's the only known phonetic dictionary currently in existence in either book or digital form it has no category to list itself does it belong in a sub category or does it require it's own category there may be others come along now that this one has made the light of day