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Est. 1828

Grammar & Usage

despairing man rubbing his facedespairing man rubbing his face

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

We're here to help
shiba inus are notorious for texting and driving

8 More Grammar Terms You Used to Know: Special Verb Edition

These grammarians are going places
man sitting in a chair looking confused

Why does English have so many silent letters?

Inexplicable silent letters, explained
  • Commonly Confused
  • Punctuation
  • Spelling & Pronunciation
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Popular

hot dog

'Deduction' vs. 'Induction' vs. 'Abduction'

Mmm, logic
spitting-roman-fountain

Do You 'hock' or 'hawk' a loogie?

A question for the ages
gray-background

'Gray' vs. 'Grey': What is the Difference?

Spelling isn't all black and white.
fanboys

Is it Ever Okay to Start a Sentence With 'And'?

FANBOYS won't save you now
aristotle beg the question

Beg the Question

It's not begging at all
this kids not having it

I Before E Except After C

The famous rhyme is wrong
accidentally with green check mark

More Commonly Misspelled Words

Because spelling is tricky
absence with green check mark

Commonly Misspelled Words

Spelling is hard

Commonly Confused

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number-40-balloon

Is it 'Forty'? Or 'Fourty'?

This is usage
how to use lay and lie

How to Use 'Lay' and 'Lie'

Tripping Up English Speakers for 700 Years
blocks spelling cant

‘Cannot’ vs. ‘Can Not’: Is there a difference?

You can learn all about them
calendar that says day today

Is It 'Day today' or 'Day-to-day'?

What about Day Tomorrow?
nerve racking

Rack vs. Wrack

Choosing which one to use can be nerve-racking
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Punctuation

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ampersand word history

The History of 'Ampersand'

How the '&' got its name
alt 592862561c248

All About Ellipses ...

How to use them … and talk about them
hyphen keyboard key

Should that word have a hyphen?

On open, closed, and hyphenated compounds
commas

Comma Splices: What They Are and How to Correct Them (or not)

Adventurous writers pull them off regularly
henry

Why Do We Use Apostrophes to Show Possession?

The shifting role of the apostrophe
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Spelling & Pronunciation

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image1067229137

How to Pronounce the Trickiest Menu Items

No more order anxiety!
alt 5b744f0097bef

The Many Plurals of 'Octopus'

But which is correct?
two oranges

Revealing What Rhymes with 'Orange'

It's technical, but it works.
image1822741934

7 Uncommonly Doubled Letters

For word games and other shenanigans
serenity-carr-definitely-image

How to Remember the Spelling of 'Definitely'

A definitive answer.
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Usage Notes

Usage Notes

  • 8 Grammar Terms You Used to Know, But Forgot

    Plus yodeling
  • Fun, Funner, Funnest

    Why does it sound strange to say 'funner' or 'funnest?'
  • Is it 'graduated' or 'was graduated from'?

    No, this will not be on the test
  • Can You Use 'Comprised of'?

    It's been in use for centuries.
  • See All
video his or her

Is Singular 'They' a Better Choice?

The awkward case of 'his or her'
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