play video its vs its
Commonly Confused

Its vs. It's

Some practical guidance, and interesting history, about a common mistake.


Some practical guidance, and interesting history, about a common mistake.

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play video its vs its
Its vs. It's

 

Some practical guidance, and interesting history, about a common mistake.

play video schwa
The Schwa

 

The most common vowel sound in English causes many spelling problems.

play video how a word gets into the dicionary
How a Word Gets into the Dictionary

 

What our editors are looking for when they enter words in Merriam-Webster.

play video affect vs effect
Affect vs. Effect

 

Here's the lowdown on what may be the most confusing pair of words in the English language.

play video ie vs eg
i.e. vs. e.g.

 

Often used, often confused. Here's some guidance and insight.

play emily-brewster-with-the-words-effect-affect-on-screen
How to Remember 'Affect' and 'Effect'

 

A simple way to keep them apart. (Most of the time.)

play backward index mystery
The True Story of the Backward Index

 

These people needed a computer