TORONTO — British lexicographer and long-time Countdown co-presenter Susie Dent is preparing to share her fascination with the English language across the U.K. with a new 26-date tour, Word Perfect, beginning this summer. The tour will celebrate the quirks, surprises, and hidden histories of words — the same passion that has made Dent a beloved fixture of British television for more than three decades.
For over 30 years, Dent has occupied Countdown’s Dictionary Corner, helping contestants navigate the subtleties of English spelling and meaning. Despite her reputation as one of the nation’s sharpest linguistic minds, she readily admits that even she can be caught off guard by simple words.
“I was doing some work on the tour the other day, and I was reminiscing about Richard Whiteley, when one of my most embarrassing moments came back to me,” Dent recalled. “The letters had been selected, the clock had ticked down, and a contestant offered their five-letter word. I didn’t quite catch what they said, so I asked them to spell it, which they duly did: D. O. I. N. G. In my head this translated to ‘doi-ng’ to rhyme with ‘boing’, so I proceeded to look it up. Until Richard saved my bacon by chipping in with ‘It’s do-ing Susie.’”
Dent’s path to television was almost accidental. She turned down the invitation to appear in Dictionary Corner several times before finally agreeing to audition — a decision that changed her career.
“It wasn’t on my bucket list to be on TV; I’m happiest when I’m below the radar! But now I’m so grateful my audition was successful,” she said. “As for my first appearance, I said as little as possible! There is a clip online of that first show, when I sat next to Rula Lenska and looked utterly frozen. I will be forever amazed, and grateful, that they kept me on.”
That modest debut evolved into a permanent place on one of the U.K.’s longest-running game shows. “After about 10 years, Richard and Carol wanted a full-time lexicographer within the team, and happily I ended up alongside them as a permanent fixture.”
A Lifelong Love of Words
Dent’s affection for Countdown remains as strong as ever. “8 Out Of 10 Cats Does Countdown has reminded many of those people who grew up with the show of the joy of the game, and of course it’s brought in the laughs to go with it,” she said. “The real beauty of Countdown is its format. Anybody who watches it can understand the rules of the game within minutes and then join in to play along – no matter what their age or ability.”
She added, “After 33 years I still feel the adrenaline as the clock starts to tick down. It really is one of the biggest joys of my life. My feet will stay under the table in Dictionary Corner for as long as viewers will have me!”
Her next adventure, the Word Perfect tour, will take audiences “on a romp through some of the joys of the English language,” examining unusual expressions, forgotten words, and the peculiar beauty of linguistic imperfection. “The English language will never stop surprising and delighting me: It is as wayward as it is majestic,” Dent said. “I can’t wait to walk down some more of its secret alleyways with the Word Perfect audiences, and to hear their own questions about our curious mother tongue!”
Dent plans to share long-lost linguistic treasures — from Victorian “bags of mystery” (sausages) to “cacklefarts” (eggs) and “bumbershoots” (umbrellas) — while exploring the origins of collective nouns and perennial debates such as “Which came first, orange the fruit or the colour?” and “How should we really pronounce scone?”
Books and Beyond
The tour coincides with two upcoming book releases: Words for Life and Roots We Share: 100 Words That Bring Us Together, a children’s title following her earlier Roots of Happiness. “Roots We Share is a collection of 100 words that describe the things that unite rather than divide us,” Dent said. “And in a similar vein, Words For Life is a collection of 365 words to give readers of any age a boost for every day of the year.”
Dent, who studied German and French before joining Oxford University Press, says her passion for words began in childhood. “I used to read vocab books in the car on long journeys,” she said. “I would lie on my stomach in a sunny spot at home and would never be happier than when I was reading a book with a dictionary next to me.”
After the success of her nonfiction works, Dent turned to fiction with Guilty by Definition (2024). “My editor Kelly then asked if I’d ever considered the parallels between word detection and crime detection,” she said. “That conversation sparked something, and I began to consider the idea of exploring the darker side of words and the people who chart them.”
For Dent, language remains both profession and passion. “I will always believe that if there’s one gift to give to our children, it’s a love of reading. And that of course includes the dictionary!”
Susie Dent’s Word Perfect Tour runs from August 19 to January 24. More information is available at nothird.co.uk/susie-dent.
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