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backward index mystery
Words Matter

The True Story of the Backward Index

These people needed a computer

There it sits, hidden in plain view on a set of shelves in the basement of the Merriam-Webster offices: the Backward Index. But why would anyone type out 315,000 words spelled in reverse?

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The True Story of the Backward Index

 

These people needed a computer

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Video: Why is there a 'c' in 'indict'?

 

And who put it there, anyway?

play further vs farther video
Further vs. Farther

 

They started as same word, but their meanings have drifted apart over time.

play video title words of the year 1066
Words of the Year: 1066

 

English was never the same after the Norman Conquest

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'One in the same' or 'One and the same'?

 

Is it all the same anyway?

play how to read a french menu video
How to Read a French Menu

 

How to 'amuse-bouche' without begging pardon for your French

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.

Games & Quizzes

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Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
roulette-wheel-thirteen
13-Letter Word Quiz Thirteen words, thirteen letters each. It’s you...
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