SOLVED. Adult Dystopian - Missing man who is a specialist with words being tracked down by a female acquaintance or relative. About a dictionary? [s]

[Faith]

I started reading the book around 2017/2018. I previously owned it and purchased it from the Dollar Tree so it was likely published a few years before then at least.

The cover was white with warm colored letters (red, orange, etc.). I thought the title had the word alphabet in it, but maybe it referred to a dictionary.

I think the man who goes missing is a word specialist of some kind. And I think the mystery surrounding his disappearance has to do with words going missing.

[Lobstergirl, au gratin]

Can you rule out The Flame Alphabet?

[Faith]

Not The Flame Alphabet. Thanks for the guess though.

[Kris]

Faith, can you describe how he might specialize in words (e.g., linguist, translator, codebreaker, academic, spy) and who he works for?

[Faith]

Yes. I think he had something to do with a dictionary. I am not sure his exact role with the dictionary though. He might have gone against the grain of his job description by trying to preserve word knowledge in some way. Society might have been curtailing knowledge in some way like in 1984.

[Kris]

Thanks. I added "dictionary" to the topic header.

[Faith]

Thank you

[Ayshe]

The Word Exchange maybe?

[Faith]

That's it! Thank you.