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?
215,190 views
No one calls it the Merriam-Webster comma. Why?
455,342 views
There, there. We'll sort it out.
104,482 views
The awkward case of 'his or her'
266,493 views
No other common verb follows the pattern of _sneak_…_snuck_. And no one's quite sure why.
72,128 views
They started as the same word, but their meanings have drifted apart over time.
55,402 views
Editor Emily Brewster clarifies the difference.
364,721 views
'Poets laureate'? 'Court-martials'? The curious history of postpositive adjectives in English.
290,568 views
Why does it sound strange to say 'funner' or 'funnest?'
265,703 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.
548,170 views
Our research turned up two archaic literal meanings
157,375 views
How an ancient philosophical movement devoted to the pursuit of virtue came to describe eye-rolling criticism.
41,535 views
The story of those iconic illustrations.
24,629 views
Soop, wimmen, and headake did not make the cut
162,819 views
We'll help you figure it out at once
886,967 views
799,498 views
How to use a word that (literally) drives some people nuts
453,586 views
And who put it there, anyway?
327,278 views
Some imitative words are more surprising than others
325,322 views
We're intent on clearing it up
315,650 views
Challenging Standardized Test Words
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Pick the best words!
