Legendary figures and the words that define them
Celebrated writers share their quest to find the right words
We're gonna stop you right there
What about Day Tomorrow?
And how did it get that name?
Word Icons
New!
And is one more correct than the others?
216,117 views
No one calls it the Merriam-Webster comma. Why?
455,480 views
There, there. We'll sort it out.
104,544 views
The awkward case of 'his or her'
266,596 views
No other common verb follows the pattern of _sneak_…_snuck_. And no one's quite sure why.
72,216 views
They started as the same word, but their meanings have drifted apart over time.
55,538 views
Editor Emily Brewster clarifies the difference.
364,979 views
'Poets laureate'? 'Court-martials'? The curious history of postpositive adjectives in English.
290,659 views
Why does it sound strange to say 'funner' or 'funnest?'
265,816 views
Why is pig meat called 'pork' and cow meat called 'beef?' Because English took on a big serving of French words following the Norman Conquest.
548,358 views
Our research turned up two archaic literal meanings
157,480 views
How an ancient philosophical movement devoted to the pursuit of virtue came to describe eye-rolling criticism.
41,607 views
The story of those iconic illustrations.
24,672 views
Soop, wimmen, and headake did not make the cut
162,888 views
We'll help you figure it out at once
887,030 views
800,151 views
How to use a word that (literally) drives some people nuts
453,668 views
And who put it there, anyway?
328,230 views
Some imitative words are more surprising than others
325,461 views
We're intent on clearing it up
315,710 views
Commonly Misspelled Words Vol. 2 Quiz
Test your vocabulary with our 10-question quiz!
Pick the best words!
