play videos pictures in the dictionary
Words Matter

Pictures in the Dictionary

The story of those iconic illustrations.


The story of those iconic illustrations.

Up next

play videos pictures in the dictionary
Pictures in the Dictionary

 

The story of those iconic illustrations.

play video schwa
The Schwa

 

The most common vowel sound in English causes many spelling problems.

play hanger-hangar-illustrations
Is It 'Hanger' or 'Hangar'?

 

How to remember which is which

play mrs malaprop
What is a malaprop?

 

We'll tell you all the perpendiculars

play emily brewster and one and the same text graphic
'One in the same' or 'One and the same'?

 

Is it all the same anyway?

play video how a word gets into the dicionary
How a Word Gets into the Dictionary

 

What our editors are looking for when they enter words in Merriam-Webster.

play semantic bleaching text on white background
What Is 'Semantic Bleaching'?

 

How 'literally' can mean "figuratively"