Depending on the methodological choices made by the lexicographer, a lexical entry may vary considerably between dictionaries. Analyzing the treatment of diatopic variation comparing Portuguese and French dictionaries, one can distinguish at least three types of treatment: the description can be based i) on the maximal extension of the language, ii) on geographically limited extension of the language, Brazil, for example, or iii) on an abstract norm which is not perceived in terms of geographical extension but in terms of shared linguistic stock.