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!
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And is one more correct than the others?
202,291 views
No one calls it the Merriam-Webster comma. Why?
453,404 views
There, there. We'll sort it out.
103,476 views
The awkward case of 'his or her'
264,097 views
No other common verb follows the pattern of _sneak_…_snuck_. And no one's quite sure why.
71,051 views
They started as the same word, but their meanings have drifted apart over time.
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Editor Emily Brewster clarifies the difference.
361,053 views
'Poets laureate'? 'Court-martials'? The curious history of postpositive adjectives in English.
289,383 views
Why does it sound strange to say 'funner' or 'funnest?'
263,706 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.
547,010 views
Our research turned up two archaic literal meanings
156,556 views
How an ancient philosophical movement devoted to the pursuit of virtue came to describe eye-rolling criticism.
40,805 views
The story of those iconic illustrations.
24,199 views
Soop, wimmen, and headake did not make the cut
161,953 views
We'll help you figure it out at once
886,208 views
790,967 views
How to use a word that (literally) drives some people nuts
451,479 views
Some imitative words are more surprising than others
324,045 views
And who put it there, anyway?
319,654 views
We're intent on clearing it up
314,427 views
Challenging Standardized Test Words, Vol. 2
Test your knowledge - and maybe learn something along the way.
You can make only 12 words. Pick the best ones!