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Okay?
Bizarre origins of the world's most recognized word.

What "Ironic" Really Means
"Rain on your wedding day" and other disputed usages.

"Mispronunciations" That May Be Fine
"Mischievous," "nuclear," and other words to pronounce with caution.

The Awkward Case of "His or Her"
Despite what the grammar police might say, it's actually fine to use "their" as a singular pronoun.

How a Word Gets into the Dictionary
What our editors are looking for when they choose words for Merriam-Webster's.

New Dictionary Words for 2011
"Cougar," "Crowdsourcing," "Bromance" and more - the latest additions to America's best-selling dictionary.

Drive Safe: In Praise of Flat Adverbs
You don't have to end all your adverbs in -ly to talk right.

A vs. An
When to use one or the other, and "an" historical exception or two.

Soop vs. Soup
Noah Webster: the man who changed the way we spell... up to a point.

Ghost Word
The story of an imaginary word that managed to sneak past our editors and enter the dictionary.

Hopefully
Contrary to what your teachers may have said, we believe the popular usage of this word is correct. Hopefully you agree.

Ending a Sentence with a Preposition
An old-fashioned rule we can no longer put up with.

Who vs. Whom
Good news for those who feel stuffy saying "whom."

Gridiron
From torture to tailgating—the origins of an American football term.

Christmas vs. Xmas
The surprising history behind this controversial abbreviation.

Rhyming Slang
"Put up your dukes," "86'd," and other examples of rhyming slang.

Frequently Looked Up Words
An insight into the words often topping the list.

Gourmet
Labels for foodies: the difference between "gourmet," "gourmand," and "epicure."

Stinkeye
Beyond a dirty look: the meaning and origins of this evocative term.

Open Dictionary
What makes a good submission to the Open Dictionary, our collection of New Words & Slang?

Than & Then
When to use "than" and when to use "then," and when those rules get tricky.

Octopus
What's the correct plural of "octopus": "octopuses" or "octopi"? Yes – and then some.

Penultimate
What's the difference in meaning between "ultimate" and "penultimate"?

Fewer and Less
The rule is that "fewer" refers to number among things you can count – except, that is, when "less" does.

Posh
Dispelling some common misconceptions about the origin of "posh."

Doozy
Does the word "doozy" really come from the Duesenberg Motor Company's famous cars?

Rein vs. Reign
Do you "reign something in," or "rein something in"?

Hat Trick
The origins of "hat trick" – where hockey and haberdashery collide.

Ratiocinate
There's something suspicious about Sherlock Holmes and the use of "ratiocinate."

Cop
Just how – and why, where, and when – did police officers come to be called "cops"?

Slang
Does slang belong in the dictionary? Yup. Here's why.

Classic Roots
English is a Germanic language. So where did all that Latin come from?

I Before E
A familiar spelling "rule" and its many exceptions.

Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson's death sent many people to the dictionary. What did they look up?

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