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?
214,008 views
No one calls it the Merriam-Webster comma. Why?
455,174 views
There, there. We'll sort it out.
104,398 views
The awkward case of 'his or her'
266,319 views
No other common verb follows the pattern of _sneak_…_snuck_. And no one's quite sure why.
72,056 views
They started as the same word, but their meanings have drifted apart over time.
55,153 views
Editor Emily Brewster clarifies the difference.
364,493 views
'Poets laureate'? 'Court-martials'? The curious history of postpositive adjectives in English.
290,424 views
Why does it sound strange to say 'funner' or 'funnest?'
265,527 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.
548,019 views
Our research turned up two archaic literal meanings
157,259 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
162,658 views
We'll help you figure it out at once
886,881 views
798,622 views
How to use a word that (literally) drives some people nuts
453,440 views
And who put it there, anyway?
326,055 views
Some imitative words are more surprising than others
325,154 views
We're intent on clearing it up
315,561 views
Words Named After People Quiz
Hear a word and type it out. How many can you get right?
Pick the best words!
