words

How many words are in the english language?

Webster's Third New International Dictionary, Unabridged, together with its 1993 Addenda Section, includes some 470,000 entries. The Oxford English Dictionary, Second Edition, reports that it includes a similar number.


It seems that is alot, and some of them are clearly not needed.
 
Embrangle
Eyeshine
Escutcheon
horripilate
 
These are just 4 of the words that i can think of that need not exist for me to communicate my thoughts and feelings.
 
I was having a conversation at work the other day and kept having to explain that my brother in law, my wife's brother and my brother in law my sister's husband.  Why in the name of all that is holy are these the same word?
 
My sister in law, my wive's brother's wive and my wive's sister shouldn't be the same either.
 
Unless there is a word for those people that i don't know, but I've never heard it and i am smart!  Okay, i may not be smart, but I've still never heard it.