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?
214,116 views
No one calls it the Merriam-Webster comma. Why?
455,181 views
There, there. We'll sort it out.
104,403 views
The awkward case of 'his or her'
266,331 views
No other common verb follows the pattern of _sneak_…_snuck_. And no one's quite sure why.
72,059 views
They started as the same word, but their meanings have drifted apart over time.
55,169 views
Editor Emily Brewster clarifies the difference.
364,509 views
'Poets laureate'? 'Court-martials'? The curious history of postpositive adjectives in English.
290,429 views
Why does it sound strange to say 'funner' or 'funnest?'
265,533 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.
548,024 views
Our research turned up two archaic literal meanings
157,266 views
How an ancient philosophical movement devoted to the pursuit of virtue came to describe eye-rolling criticism.
41,462 views
The story of those iconic illustrations.
24,579 views
Soop, wimmen, and headake did not make the cut
162,706 views
We'll help you figure it out at once
886,888 views
798,670 views
How to use a word that (literally) drives some people nuts
453,446 views
And who put it there, anyway?
326,107 views
Some imitative words are more surprising than others
325,164 views
We're intent on clearing it up
315,566 views
Commonly Confused Words Quiz
Hear a word and type it out. How many can you get right?
Pick the best words!
