Kurdish has become the eighth largest language in the world in terms of vocabulary on Wiktionary, the open content dictionary section of Wikipedia, surpassing Persian, Turkish and Arabic on the platform.
According to the data, Kurdish has a vocabulary of over 900,000 approved entries, placing it eighth out of 168 languages worldwide. This vocabulary is the result of a free service on Wiktionary to which anyone with knowledge of Kurdish can be a contributor. However, all entries are subject to a seven-editor review process to ensure accuracy and reliability before publication on the platform.
Kurdish is also eighth on the list of most frequently updated languages, behind English, French, Malagasy, Chinese, Russian, Greek, and German.
This means that new words continue to be added every day, demonstrating the continued expansion and enrichment of the language in the world’s most comprehensive, online and free dictionary project.
Wiktionary’s vocabulary includes 67,624 words in Arabic, 104,581 words in Persian, and 359,195 words in Turkish. Kurdish holds its place in this ranking by including words from both the Kurmanji dialect, spoken mainly in the Kurdish-majority provinces of southeastern Turkey and northeastern Syria, and the Sorani dialect, spoken mainly in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq and the Kurdish-majority provinces of Iran, but not the Gorani, Kurmanchki (Zazaki), and Luri dialects of Kurdish.