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?
216,127 views
No one calls it the Merriam-Webster comma. Why?
455,483 views
There, there. We'll sort it out.
104,544 views
The awkward case of 'his or her'
266,599 views
No other common verb follows the pattern of _sneak_…_snuck_. And no one's quite sure why.
72,216 views
They started as the same word, but their meanings have drifted apart over time.
55,539 views
Editor Emily Brewster clarifies the difference.
364,985 views
'Poets laureate'? 'Court-martials'? The curious history of postpositive adjectives in English.
290,660 views
Why does it sound strange to say 'funner' or 'funnest?'
265,816 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.
548,360 views
Our research turned up two archaic literal meanings
157,482 views
How an ancient philosophical movement devoted to the pursuit of virtue came to describe eye-rolling criticism.
41,607 views
The story of those iconic illustrations.
24,672 views
Soop, wimmen, and headake did not make the cut
162,888 views
We'll help you figure it out at once
887,030 views
800,154 views
How to use a word that (literally) drives some people nuts
453,668 views
And who put it there, anyway?
328,238 views
Some imitative words are more surprising than others
325,461 views
We're intent on clearing it up
315,710 views
Commonly Confused Words Quiz
Test your knowledge - and maybe learn something along the way.
Pick the best words!
