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
New!
And is one more correct than the others?
214,045 views
No one calls it the Merriam-Webster comma. Why?
455,177 views
There, there. We'll sort it out.
104,401 views
The awkward case of 'his or her'
266,321 views
No other common verb follows the pattern of _sneak_…_snuck_. And no one's quite sure why.
72,057 views
They started as the same word, but their meanings have drifted apart over time.
55,156 views
Editor Emily Brewster clarifies the difference.
364,498 views
'Poets laureate'? 'Court-martials'? The curious history of postpositive adjectives in English.
290,425 views
Why does it sound strange to say 'funner' or 'funnest?'
265,528 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.
548,022 views
Our research turned up two archaic literal meanings
157,262 views
How an ancient philosophical movement devoted to the pursuit of virtue came to describe eye-rolling criticism.
41,462 views
The story of those iconic illustrations.
24,579 views
Soop, wimmen, and headake did not make the cut
162,675 views
We'll help you figure it out at once
886,884 views
798,641 views
How to use a word that (literally) drives some people nuts
453,442 views
And who put it there, anyway?
326,072 views
Some imitative words are more surprising than others
325,160 views
We're intent on clearing it up
315,562 views
Challenging Standardized Test Words
You know what it looks like… but what is it called?
Pick the best words!
