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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The best way to find information in the dictionary
37,364 views
And is one more correct than the others?
202,771 views
No one calls it the Merriam-Webster comma. Why?
453,514 views
There, there. We'll sort it out.
103,523 views
The awkward case of 'his or her'
264,396 views
No other common verb follows the pattern of _sneak_…_snuck_. And no one's quite sure why.
71,119 views
They started as the same word, but their meanings have drifted apart over time.
53,409 views
Editor Emily Brewster clarifies the difference.
361,360 views
'Poets laureate'? 'Court-martials'? The curious history of postpositive adjectives in English.
289,468 views
Why does it sound strange to say 'funner' or 'funnest?'
263,854 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.
547,061 views
Our research turned up two archaic literal meanings
156,597 views
How an ancient philosophical movement devoted to the pursuit of virtue came to describe eye-rolling criticism.
40,856 views
The story of those iconic illustrations.
24,221 views
Soop, wimmen, and headake did not make the cut
161,981 views
We'll help you figure it out at once
886,266 views
791,418 views
How to use a word that (literally) drives some people nuts
451,661 views
Some imitative words are more surprising than others
324,117 views
And who put it there, anyway?
319,999 views
We're intent on clearing it up
314,535 views
Challenging Standardized Test Words, Vol. 2
Hear a word and type it out. How many can you get right?
You can make only 12 words. Pick the best ones!