“The Power of Lost Words” and How The Dictionary Project Protects Language for Future Generations.

The Power of Lost Words: How The Dictionary Project Protects Language for Future Generations.

The success of The Dictionary of Lost Words — both the book by Pip Williams and its acclaimed stage adaptation — highlights an important truth: words shape our world, and when they are lost or forgotten, a part of history disappears too.
The story follows Esme Nicholl, a young woman who collects words discarded from the Oxford English Dictionary, many of them used by women and the working class. Her journey reminds us that language must reflect every voice — not just the ones in power.

This mission aligns perfectly with The Dictionary Project’s work today. By putting dictionaries into the hands of students across the United States, The Dictionary Project ensures every child, regardless of background, gains access to the words they need to succeed. Dictionaries are more than books — they are tools of empowerment, education, and inclusion.

Much like Esme’s fight to preserve lost words, The Dictionary Project believes in preserving knowledge and giving young minds the words they need to tell their own stories.
By sponsoring a classroom or school, you can help protect language, education, and opportunity for the next generation.