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?
214,158 views
No one calls it the Merriam-Webster comma. Why?
455,183 views
There, there. We'll sort it out.
104,406 views
The awkward case of 'his or her'
266,333 views
No other common verb follows the pattern of _sneak_…_snuck_. And no one's quite sure why.
72,060 views
They started as the same word, but their meanings have drifted apart over time.
55,174 views
Editor Emily Brewster clarifies the difference.
364,514 views
'Poets laureate'? 'Court-martials'? The curious history of postpositive adjectives in English.
290,434 views
Why does it sound strange to say 'funner' or 'funnest?'
265,536 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.
548,030 views
Our research turned up two archaic literal meanings
157,268 views
How an ancient philosophical movement devoted to the pursuit of virtue came to describe eye-rolling criticism.
41,463 views
The story of those iconic illustrations.
24,580 views
Soop, wimmen, and headake did not make the cut
162,709 views
We'll help you figure it out at once
886,892 views
798,679 views
How to use a word that (literally) drives some people nuts
453,451 views
And who put it there, anyway?
326,122 views
Some imitative words are more surprising than others
325,165 views
We're intent on clearing it up
315,568 views
Challenging Words You Should Know
You know what it looks like… but what is it called?
Pick the best words!
