[Tutor] dictionary speeds?

[Thomi Richards]

OK, i want to have a very complex dictionary structure, where the key is
an ordinary old word, like "lion", but the value side is a tuple, which
has other tuples nested inside it. it could have many thousand tuples
inside it at once, and these need to be used frequently. My question is:

how fast is the dictionary? would it slow down any data types _inside_
it? would it be faster to have a dictionary which has the word on the
right, and an index number on the left??

I'm looking for speed here, its very important for this project.

thanks once again.

-- 
DOS: n., A small annoying boot virus that causes random spontaneous
system
     crashes, usually just before saving a massive project.  Easily
cured by
     UNIX.  See also MS-DOS, IBM-DOS, DR-DOS.
(from David Vicker's .plan)
Thomi Richards,
thomi@imail.net.nz