Reading the Dictionary — One Page a Day Since 12/22/22
📚 Reading the Dictionary — One Page a Day Since 12/22/22
On December 22, 2022, I began reading the Merriam-Webster 10th Collegiate Dictionary from A to Z.
No skipping, no scanning—one page a day, every day. As of November 11, 2025, I’m on page 1236, nearing the end.
Each session takes about five minutes. I look at every entry, study the etymologies, and highlight words I don’t know or find especially interesting.
🧭 Why Read a Dictionary?
Not for memorization. For exposure.
Tracing words back to Latin, Greek, Old English, and beyond changed how I see language. Roots connect families of meaning; prefixes and suffixes become reliable tools; spellings stop being arbitrary and start being historical.
Some people read novels; I’ve been reading the map that all novels are built from.
🔁 The Habit Engine
This project runs alongside other non-negotiable dailies:
- 🎸 Guitar: at least 10 minutes/day — 350+ hours in the past two years
- 📜 Bible: 1 chapter/day — finished the whole Bible this year after ~3 years
What they taught me is simple:
- Gains are gradual. Five quiet minutes compound into something loud.
- Momentum is sacred. The streak removes the decision; you just show up.
- Discipline transfers. Master one small daily and you can apply it anywhere.
🔎 How I Work a Page
- Read every headword and definition
- Note pronunciation and part of speech
- Follow the etymology trail (the best part)
- Highlight unknown or delightful words for later review
It’s a micro-ritual—short enough to do tired, meaningful enough to do proudly.
🏁 Almost There
Soon I’ll close the back cover. But the real win already happened:
this habit re-wired my approach to big goals. Five minutes a day can climb mountains—whether paper mountains of words, pages of Scripture, or hours of music practice.
Persistence: that’s the definition worth committing to memory.