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mrs malaprop
Words at Play

What is a malaprop?

Editor Peter Sokolowski will tell you all the perpendiculars

A malapropism, or malaprop, is the usually unintentionally humorous misuse or distortion of a word or phrase, especially the use of a word sounding somewhat like the one intended but ludicrously wrong in context—like polo bears instead of polar bears.

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play mrs malaprop
What is a malaprop?

 

We'll tell you all the perpendiculars

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Sneaked vs. Snuck

 

How the irregular 'snuck' sneaked into the dictionary

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Why did Yankee Doodle call a feather 'macaroni'?

 

What's with his feathered cap?

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How to Remember 'Affect' and 'Effect'

 

A simple way to keep them apart. (Most of the time.)

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A Look at Uncommon Onomatopoeia

 

Some imitative words are more surprising than others

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Is It 'Attorney Generals' Or 'Attorneys General'?

 

'Poets laureate'? 'Court-martials'? The curious history of postpositive adjectives in English.

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'Nip it in the butt' or 'Nip it in the bud'?

 

We're gonna stop you right there

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child-detective
Spot the Misspelled Word July 2026 Those little red underlines can't help you now...
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