Susie Dent

Susie Dent

Susie Dent was born in 1964 and is currently 61 years old. Susie Dent was born in Woking, Surrey, England.

Susie Dent is an English etymologist, lexicographer, and media personality. She’s appeared in “Dictionary Corner” on Countdown (the Channel 4 game show) since 1992. Susie also appears on the post-watershed comedy version of the show, called 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown.

She attended Somerville College, Oxford, to read for her BA in modern languages and then on to Princeton University to read for her master’s in German. Upon graduating, she spent one year in New York teaching German until her visa expired and she had to return to the UK.

Susie started working on Countdown at the insistence of her boss at Oxford University Press. She’d recently switched roles to work on compiling English dictionaries, having worked previously on bilingual dictionaries. At first she declined the offer to work on Countdown, however her boss explained that her appearance on the show formed a part of her OUP contract and she agreed to take the role. She’s made over 5,000 appearances on the show, making her the longest-serving member of the show’s current on-screen team.

Guilty by Definition is a linguistic mystery that will shock and delight readers.

Martha knew that there would be ghosts in Oxford; however, she never thought they would make their way into the dictionary.

Oxford, England. After Martha Thornhill spent a decade abroad, she returned home to the city whose ancient institutions had long defined her family. However, the ghosts she’d believed to be at rest appear to have been waiting for her to return. When this anonymous letter gets delivered to the Clarendon English Dictionary, where Martha is the newly hired senior editor, it quickly becomes clear that this isn’t the typical lexicographical enquiry. But instead, this coded letter hints at lies and secrets connected to a particular year.

This date can mean just one thing: the summer Charlie (her brilliant elder sister) went missing.

Martha and her team, once more letters arrive, pull apart the complex clues inside them, and quickly, this mystery becomes ever more troubling and insistent. Because it appears that Charlie had been keeping a rather powerful secret, and somebody might be attempting to lead the lexicographers toward the truth, which will unravel the mystery of her disappearance. However, other forces are no less desperate to keep their secrets truly buried, and Martha and her team have to crack the codes before time runs out.

Susie Dent: Awards & Accolades

Dent's book, Guilty By Definition was nominated for the British Book Awards, Crime and Thriller Book of the Year, in 2025.

Susie Dent: Lists & Other Mentions

• Guilty By Definition was a Richard & Judy Book Club 2025 Spring Pick.

Related Authors

Fans of Susie Dent also enjoy these authors:

1. Richard Osman, author of the Thursday Murder Club Series.
2. Kate Atkinson, author of the Jackson Brodie Series.
3. Karin Slaughter, author of the Will Trent Series.
4. James Patterson, author of the Alex Cross Series.
5. Tana French, author of the Dublin Murder Squad Series.

Susie Dent: F.A.Q