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Est. 1828
Grammar & Usage
How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'
What you really need to know
The Misspelled Words of the National Spelling Bee
Are these the hardest words in English?
More Words You Always Have to Look Up
The dictionary is always here to help
Commonly Confused
Usage Notes
Spelling & Pronunciation
Punctuation
Popular
'Affect' vs. 'Effect'
How to pick the right one
Using Bullet Points ( • )
'Bring' vs. 'Take'
We can bring it if you can take it.
Is it 'used to' or 'use to'?
You'll get used to it
Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
A learned explanation that is not wicked hard
Words You Always Have to Look Up
The dictionary is here to help
Democracy or Republic: What's the difference?
A case can be made for either
How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
Be dashing—and do it well
Commonly Confused
Commonly Confused
Is it 'home in' or 'hone in'?
Both are used, but 'home in' does a better job of hitting the mark.
Read
The Difference between 'Race' and 'Ethnicity'
How they differ and overlap
Read
Homophones, Homographs, and Homonyms
The same, but different
Read
On 'Biweekly' and 'Bimonthly'
Sorry, not sorry
Read
See All
'Lose' or 'loose'?
Keep this somewhere you won't forget it
Usage Notes
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Plural and Possessive Names: A Guide
A guide to plural and possessive names
Singular Nonbinary ‘They’: Is it ‘they are’ or ‘they is’?
Notes on a conjugation
Is Singular 'They' a Better Choice?
The awkward case of 'his or her'
8 Grammar Terms You Used to Know, But Forgot
Plus yodeling
Words in Disguise: Do these seem familiar?
Some words resemble other words enough to make you think you know them. You might not.
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Spelling & Pronunciation
Spelling & Pronunciation
10 Words You See But Don't Hear
How to pronounce 10 words with unpredictable stress and vowel sounds
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How to Remember the Spelling of 'Definitely'
A definitive answer.
Absent Letters That Are Heard Anyway
They aren't seen but they are heard
Read
How to Pronounce the Trickiest Menu Items
No more order anxiety!
Read
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The Many Plurals of 'Octopus'
But which is correct?
Punctuation
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The Serial Comma Explained
Why don't they call it the Merriam-Webster comma?
The History of 'Ampersand'
How the '&' got its name
All About Ellipses ...
How to use them … and talk about them
Comma Splices: What They Are and How to Correct Them (or not)
Adventurous writers pull them off regularly
Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?
The shifting role of the apostrophe
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