Dictionaries vary widely in size and scope. A dictionary that attempts to cover as many words from a particular speech community as possible is called a maximizing dictionary (e.g. the "ऑक्सफर्ड इंग्लिश डिक्शनरी"), whereas a dictionary that attempts to cover only a limited selection of words from a speech community is called a minimizing dictionary (e.g. a dictionary containing the 2000 most frequently used words in the English language).

Prescription and description
Pronunciation key
Coverage
Special-purpose dictionaries