RAE presents the 24th edition of the dictionary, 'the first digitally native edition'

The Royal Spanish Academy (RAE) presented this Friday the 24th edition of the Dictionary of the Spanish Language (DLE), more than a decade after the last edition was released. This edition embraces current realities and establishes itself as digitally native.

"It is the first digitally native edition. It marks the pinnacle of a generation of dictionaries," said the director of the RAE, Santiago Muñoz Machado, during the presentation ceremony for the new DLE.

"For the first time in its history, the print dictionary has been compiled from the digital edition rather than the other way around. It can therefore be said that this is the first digitally native edition," the RAE stated in a statement.

Aside from this digital adaptation, the 24th edition of the Dictionary of the Spanish Language contains new words, many of which are related to technology, ecology and recent social changes.

Among these new terms, the RAE highlighted "app" (app), "autoexigencia" (self-discipline), "bit cuántico" (quantum bit), "cardiosaludable" (heart-healthy), "código QR" (QR code), "deja vu" (déjà vu), "ruido blanco" (white noise), "ultraprocesado" (ultraprocessed), "marca blanca" (generic brand), "ecoansiedad" (eco-anxiety), "pluridisciplinariedad" (multidisciplinarity), "pódcast" (podcast), "subrayador" (highlighter), "versión original" (original version), "basuraleza" (litter left in nature), "influencer" (influencer), "ramen" (ramen), among others. It also includes vocabulary specific to Spanish-speaking countries in the Americas, such as "acitronar" (from Mexico, meaning to cook until translucent), "cocotaxi" (from Cuba, referring to a three-wheeled auto rickshaw-type taxi) and "bicisenda" (from Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay, meaning bike lane or path).

In addition, thousands of existing definitions have been thoroughly revised in order to eliminate biases and refine the definitions.

The print version "consists of two carefully crafted hardcover volumes totaling 3,606 pages," the RAE noted. Both the print and digital formats offer 99,990 entries and nearly 209,000 definitions.

The presentation ceremony for the 24th edition of the Dictionary of the Spanish Language was attended by numerous dignitaries, including the king and queen of Spain, Felipe VI and Letizia, as well as academics, political figures, and directors and presidents of Spanish language academies from around the world.