title: Checking Variables against a Dictionary in Python
body: <p>Ok, I've had a look around but since the word 'dictionary' already has meaning in Python then I'm struggling. I am referring to the Oxford (or others) English Dictionary. </p>
  
  <p>I have an array (list) of words. I want to loop though them and check if each one is in the English dictionary. If it is I want to increase a variable by 1. </p>
  
  <p>This is all very simple apart from the 'getting Python to read a dictionary' which I'm not sure about. I have found a .txt dictionary which I could use but the words are in there with definitions making it impossible to pick out the actual words.</p>
  
  <p>Any ideas of how I can achieve this?</p>