William Shakespeare is credited with inventing or introducing over 1,700 words that are still used in English today. He used more than 20,000 words in his plays and poems, and his works provide the first recorded use of over 1,700 words in the English language. It is believed that he may have invented or introduced many of these words himself, often by combining words, changing nouns into verbs, adding prefixes or suffixes, and so on. Some of the words he invented or introduced include:

• Alligator (Romeo and Juliet, Act 5 Scene 1)
• Bedroom (A Midsummer Nights Dream, Act 2 Scene 2)
• Critic (Coriolanus, Act 2 Scene 1)
• Obscene (Loves Labours Lost, Act 1 Scene 1)
• Puppy dog (King John, Act 2 Scene 1)
• Rant (Hamlet, Act 5 Scene 1)
• Skim milk (Henry IV Part 1, Act 2 Scene 3)
• Bandit (Henry VI, Part 2)
• Dwindle (Henry IV, Part 1)
• Elbow (King Lear)
• Green-Eyed (The Merchant of Venice)
• Lackluster (As You Like It)
• Lonely (Coriolanus)
• Swagger (A Midsummer Night’s Dream)

These are just a few examples of the words Shakespeare invented or introduced. Other sources list different words, but most agree that he invented around 1,700 words.