A new study from musixmatch aims to discover which musicians have the largest vocabularies. 

The study examined the 99 top-selling artists based on the total number of words found in their songs. Inspired by a similar study focusing strictly on hip-hop vocabulary, musixmatch analysed 99 of the best-selling musicians across 25 different genres. The study was limited to each musician’s 100 densest songs.

Results revealed that Eminem has the largest vocabulary of any musician by quite some margin. His 8,818 words are nearly 2,000 more than second place finisher, Jay Z (6,899). Tupac comes in at No. 3 with 6,596 words whilst Kanye West sits at No. 4 with 5,069.

Unsurprisingly, five of the top six artists in the study are hip-hop acts. Bob Dylan is the only non-rapper in the top six with a lyrical vocabulary of 4,883 words. Bilingual singers Julio Inglesias and Andrea Bocelli take out positions 7 and 8. Prince comes in at No. 11 with Taylor Swift and Rihanna occupying positions 40 and 49. The Beatles came in at number 76.

In conclusion, musixmatch writes, “This analysis should not be interpreted as saying that one musician is better than the other, it is just another insight into the work of these amazing artists. It gives us a peek into the minds of different songwriters, some tear your heart with just a few words while others paint an intricate picture with a thousand words.”

Check out the full study over at musixmatch. [via CoS]