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Est. 1828
Wordplay
For the love of language
9 Other Words for Beautiful
Here are some additional words for calling something lovely
Rare and Amusing Insults, Volume 2
Sometimes a 'cacafuego' can be a real 'slubberdegullion'
Etymologies for Every Day of the Week
The sun, the moon, four gods, and a goddess.
Arts & Culture
Obscure & Fun
Foreign
Games & Hobbies
Insults
Science & Nature
Word History
Popular
10 Words from Taylor Swift Songs (Merriam's Version)
Look what you made us do
A Great Big List of Bread Words
Quit loafing around and get that bread (word)
10 Scrabble Words Without Any Vowels
We'd like to not buy a vowel
12 More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
Words beloved even by cranky fans and pettichaps
9 Superb Owl Words
Who cooks for you? Who cooks for you all? We do!
15 Words That Used to Mean Something Different
Including the secret history of 'secretary'
9 Irregular and Unpredictable Words
Get your pencil ready
Not Nice and Too Nice: A Collection of Dysphemisms and Euphemisms
Words to soothe and annoy
Word Choices
Gabrielle Zevin
Novelist
Emily Flake
New Yorker Cartoonist
Celeste Ng
Novelist
Eli Cymet
Video Game Writer/Producer, Cuphead
Emma Straub
Novelist and Children’s Book Author
Arts & Culture
See All
What Does 'Eighty-Six' Mean?
We won't refuse you service
10 Better Ways to Say Underwear
Get your knickers in a twist
The Changing Meaning of 'Elope'
Read this before you elope. Or 'elope.'
The History of 'Nuclear Family'
Getting at the core of it.
17 Tasty Names of Appetizers
Enjoy. They're complimentary.
See All
Obscure & Fun
Obscure & Fun
8 Words for Witchcraft and Black Magic
Witchcraft, dark magic, and more
Read
What Is an Eggcorn?
And how did it get that name?
Words That are Their Own Opposites
Do I contradict myself?
Read
Winning Scrabble Words for Everyday People
You don't have to be a pro to play these words.
Read
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12 Words from the Wrong Side of the Law
Crime doesn't pay, but vocabulary might
Foreign
See All
17 English Words That Come From Japanese
Some borrowed words don't get returned
All About Latin Plurals
Check your dictionary
8 Words We Stole from French
Spoiler: We stole way more than 8
Digging Up the Latin Roots of 14 Abbreviations
Beyond 'i.e.' and 'e.g.'
Skunk, Bayou, and Other Words with Native American Origins
You've used more than you might think
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Games & Hobbies
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A Player's Guide to 'Q' without 'U' Words
Remember this and win.
'Slew-foot', 'Deke', and 10 More Words from Hockey
Because it's the Cup.
Why 'Love' Means "Nothing"
In tennis. This is about tennis.
The Scoop on 'The Proof Is in the Pudding'
A delicious question
Are You Ready for Some Football (Words)?
So you can do more than smile and nod when talking about the big game
See All
Insults
Insults
Rare and Amusing Insults, Volume 3
Useful words for everyday interactions
Read
You Talk Too Much: 8 Words for the Wordy
You can't shut them up, but you can label them
Read
7 Shakespearean Insults to Make Life More Interesting
One for each day of the week
Read
The Origin of 'Hypocrite'
This one's surprisingly dramatic
Read
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8 Significant Words for 'Insignificant'
A list that is anything but trivial
Science & Nature
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7 Especially Fitting Common Names for Plants
So you don't mix up your Swiss Cheese plants with your Dutchman's Breeches
12 Words for Signs of Spring
Springan is icumen in
What Is a 'Coulrophobe' So Afraid Of?
Unusual Phobias, Vol. 2
'Blue Moon,' 'Wolf Moon,' and Other Moons to Look for Throughout the Year
More moons than you can shake a stick at
'Opossum,' O Lovely 'Possum'
On a marsupial with various names
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Word History
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Compound Words That Used to Make a Lot More Sense
How 'jack' met 'pot.' How 'wed' met 'lock.'
Why Did Yankee Doodle Call a Feather 'Macaroni'?
What's with his feathered cap?
10 Words You Don’t Seem to Hear as Much These Days
As chosen by you, the social media scroller!
10 Common Words with Military Origins
'Skedaddle', 'ginormous', and more
7 Good Stories That Just Aren't True
No, that's not where that word comes from
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