An Encyclopædia Britannica Company
Suggested searches: sacrosanct, nemesis, meet-cute, telegenic, rarefied, yips
Word lovers! Save words plus keep track of all your lookups
REGISTER NOW »
games and quizzes from merriam-webster including quordle blossom name that thing
Games & Quizzes
New challenges every day!

PLAY »
Word of the Day
JUNE 9, 2023
saturnine Listen to the pronunciation of saturnine
Get the definition, examples, and podcast »
Top Lookups Right Now

Games & Quizzes

View All »

spelunker-silhouette
People of Interest Quiz
Can you tell the "sommeliers" from the "spelunkers"?
Play Now »
baobab-trees
Name That Tree!
A quiz that’s all bark, no bite.
Play Now »

8-track-tapes
A Good Old-Fashioned Quiz
Can you name these antiquated items?
Play Now »
a pencil broken in half on top of a test answer sheet
Challenging Standardized Test Words, Vol. 2
No Number 2 pencil required.
Play Now »
time traveler quiz which word came first
Time Traveler Quiz: Which Word Came First?
Which word entered the English language first?
Play Now »

Words at Play

View All »

image134191212
13 Wonderful Words That You're Not Using (Yet)
Once you learn these rare words, we challenge you to use them in conversation.
Read Now »
scientist blowing up weather balloon
Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 3
Are they lovely, are they pointless, or are they both?
Read Now »

tycoon
17 English Words that Come From Japanese
We may call them borrowings, but we're not giving them back
Read Now »
image1000425231
Last Names That Started as Jobs
What's in a name? Sometimes, a paycheck.
Read Now »
swag
Why Do We Call It 'Swag'?
'Loot' or 'stylish confidence'?
Read Now »

Word Usage & Grammar

View more »

magnifying glass on yellow background surrounded by letters
A List of Most Commonly Confused Words
Your one-stop clarification shop
Read Now »
sherbert
The Scoop on Sherbet vs. Sherbert
They taste the same
Read Now »

funner
Funner, Stupider, and Other Words That Are in Fact Real
Don't argue with the dictionary
Read Now »
xenophobia-definition
'Xenophobia' vs. 'Racism'
Where they overlap and how they differ
Read Now »
churchill
Prepositions, Ending a Sentence With
Yes, you can end a sentence with a preposition
Read Now »

Videos

View All »
decimate video play
Is it wrong to use 'decimate' to mean 'destroy'?
decimate video play
Is it wrong to use 'decimate' to mean 'destroy'?
woman_shrug_shoulder play
Is it 'I Could Care Less' or 'I Couldn't Care Less'?
sneaked vs snuck video play
Sneaked vs. Snuck
serial comma play
The Serial Comma Explained

Time Traveler

Find words from the year you were born … and beyond!

Apps from Merriam-Webster

Merriam-Webster Dictionary

Merriam-Webster Dictionary

Take America's most trusted dictionary wherever you go

App Store Play Store
Puku: Learn New Words

Puku: Learn New Words

For kids 8-12

App Store Play Store

Podcasts

Word of the Day

Word of the Day

From the fun and familiar to the strange and obscure, learn something new everyday with Merriam-Webster

Apple Podcasts
Word Matters

Word Matters

Join Merriam-Webster editors as they challenge supposed grammar rules, reveal the surprising origins behind words, tackle common questions, and generally geek out about the beautiful nightmare that is language.

Apple Podcasts New England Public Media

Browse the Dictionary

Browse the Thesaurus