Lexicography is the scientific practice of writing and compiling dictionaries. It is widely considered an independent scholarly discipline, though it is a subfield within linguistics. It is divided into two related areas: the art of writing and editing dictionaries is known as practical lexicography, while the analysis of description of the vocabulary of a particular language and the meaning that links certain words to others in a dictionary is known as theoretical lexicography. This article deals with the former. It sheds light on the arranging, writing and editing of dictionaries. In particular, it emphasizes that principles of lexicography can prove useful if adhered to while compiling Urdu dictionaries.