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?
214,890 views
No one calls it the Merriam-Webster comma. Why?
455,293 views
There, there. We'll sort it out.
104,450 views
The awkward case of 'his or her'
266,453 views
No other common verb follows the pattern of _sneak_…_snuck_. And no one's quite sure why.
72,113 views
They started as the same word, but their meanings have drifted apart over time.
55,337 views
Editor Emily Brewster clarifies the difference.
364,650 views
'Poets laureate'? 'Court-martials'? The curious history of postpositive adjectives in English.
290,525 views
Why does it sound strange to say 'funner' or 'funnest?'
265,650 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.
548,132 views
Our research turned up two archaic literal meanings
157,339 views
How an ancient philosophical movement devoted to the pursuit of virtue came to describe eye-rolling criticism.
41,499 views
The story of those iconic illustrations.
24,611 views
Soop, wimmen, and headake did not make the cut
162,773 views
We'll help you figure it out at once
886,948 views
799,264 views
How to use a word that (literally) drives some people nuts
453,549 views
And who put it there, anyway?
326,929 views
Some imitative words are more surprising than others
325,262 views
We're intent on clearing it up
315,623 views
Challenging Standardized Test Words, Vol. 2
You know what it looks like… but what is it called?
Pick the best words!
