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Word History

The History of 'Cynic'

How an ancient philosophical movement devoted to the pursuit of virtue came to describe eye-rolling criticism.

How an ancient philosophical movement devoted to the pursuit of virtue came to describe eye-rolling criticism.

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play video cynic
The History of 'Cynic'

 

How an ancient philosophical movement devoted to the pursuit of virtue came to describe eye-rolling criticism.

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'Everyday' vs. 'Every Day'

 

A simple trick to keep them separate

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Is It 'Attorney Generals' Or 'Attorneys General'?

 

'Poets laureate'? 'Court-martials'? The curious history of postpositive adjectives in English.

play video hopefully
Hopefully

 

We believe the popular usage of this word is correct

play there theyre their video
There, They're, Their

 

There, there. We'll sort it out.

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An Abbreviated History of American English Spelling

 

Soop, wimmen, and headake did not make the cut

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The Serial Comma Explained

 

Why don't they call it the Merriam-Webster comma?

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
back-of-head-mortarboard
Quiz: Name That Hat! Time to put on your thinking cap.
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