An effort to empirically assess the slope of the equilibrium range in a wind wave frequency spectrum with a large number of data recorded in the Great Lakes did not serve to clarify the uncertainty between a -4 or a -5 frequency exponent representation. The uncertainty is further compounded by indications that the slope is not necessarily unique, but tends to vary with wave momentum. For sufficiently well developed wind waves the exponent appears to cluster between -3 and -4. For practical applications the f-4 equilibrium range is perhaps an effective approximation. What the correct slope is for the equilibrium range, or even whether or not a unique slope exists, remains elusive and has yet to be staisfactorily substantiated. ¿ American Geophysical Union 1989