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
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And is one more correct than the others?
213,633 views
No one calls it the Merriam-Webster comma. Why?
455,140 views
There, there. We'll sort it out.
104,374 views
The awkward case of 'his or her'
266,291 views
No other common verb follows the pattern of _sneak_…_snuck_. And no one's quite sure why.
72,035 views
They started as the same word, but their meanings have drifted apart over time.
55,111 views
Editor Emily Brewster clarifies the difference.
364,416 views
'Poets laureate'? 'Court-martials'? The curious history of postpositive adjectives in English.
290,390 views
Why does it sound strange to say 'funner' or 'funnest?'
265,470 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.
547,979 views
Our research turned up two archaic literal meanings
157,229 views
How an ancient philosophical movement devoted to the pursuit of virtue came to describe eye-rolling criticism.
41,441 views
The story of those iconic illustrations.
24,565 views
Soop, wimmen, and headake did not make the cut
162,618 views
We'll help you figure it out at once
886,865 views
798,449 views
How to use a word that (literally) drives some people nuts
453,422 views
And who put it there, anyway?
325,642 views
Some imitative words are more surprising than others
325,127 views
We're intent on clearing it up
315,544 views
Commonly Confused Words Quiz
Test your knowledge - and maybe learn something along the way.
Pick the best words!
