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?
216,439 views
No one calls it the Merriam-Webster comma. Why?
455,618 views
There, there. We'll sort it out.
104,603 views
The awkward case of 'his or her'
266,680 views
No other common verb follows the pattern of _sneak_…_snuck_. And no one's quite sure why.
72,253 views
They started as the same word, but their meanings have drifted apart over time.
55,608 views
Editor Emily Brewster clarifies the difference.
365,113 views
'Poets laureate'? 'Court-martials'? The curious history of postpositive adjectives in English.
290,716 views
Why does it sound strange to say 'funner' or 'funnest?'
265,882 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.
548,445 views
Our research turned up two archaic literal meanings
157,553 views
How an ancient philosophical movement devoted to the pursuit of virtue came to describe eye-rolling criticism.
41,658 views
The story of those iconic illustrations.
24,685 views
Soop, wimmen, and headake did not make the cut
162,930 views
We'll help you figure it out at once
887,063 views
800,483 views
How to use a word that (literally) drives some people nuts
453,755 views
And who put it there, anyway?
328,765 views
Some imitative words are more surprising than others
325,531 views
We're intent on clearing it up
315,747 views
Commonly Misspelled Words Vol. 2 Quiz
Test your vocabulary with our 10-question quiz!
Pick the best words!
