# What is a word?

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2402.12605 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2402.12605/

## Key facts

- No citing papers in the map yet (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- Builds on 4 of its 27 references that are in the map.
- First posted on arXiv 19 Feb 2024.

## Builds on (most cited first, 4 of 4)

- [Testing AI on language comprehension tasks reveals insensitivity to underlying meaning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2302.12313/) (2023)
- [DALL-E 2 Fails to Reliably Capture Common Syntactic Processes](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2210.12889/) (2022)
- [Mathematical Structure of Syntactic Merge](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2305.18278/) (2023)
- [ROSE: A Neurocomputational Architecture for Syntax](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2303.08877/) (2023)

## Abstract (arXiv)

In order to design strong paradigms for isolating lexical access and semantics, we need to know what a word is. Surprisingly few linguists and philosophers have a clear model of what a word is, even though words impact basically every aspect of human life. Researchers that regularly publish academic papers about language often rely on outdated, or inaccurate, assumptions about wordhood. This short pedagogical document outlines what the lexicon is most certainly not (though is often mistakenly taken to be), what it might be (based on current good theories), and what some implications for experimental design are.