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Est. 1828

Grammar & Usage

8 Grammar Terms You Used to Know, But Forgot

If someone has to grammar-splain to you, it may as well be your dictionary

A List of Most Commonly Confused Words

Your one-stop clarification shop

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

All your favorite pet peeves
  • Commonly Confused
  • Usage Notes
  • Spelling & Pronunciation
  • Punctuation

Popular

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Well, who's asking?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

Hint: neither is wrong

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

In which we definitively answer a thoroughly uncontentious question

Why does English have so many silent letters?

Inexplicable silent letters, explained

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

We promise you're not the only one who has trouble with these words

Every Letter Is Silent, Sometimes: A-Z List of Examples

When each letter can be seen but not heard

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

We're here to help

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

Be dashing—and do it well

Commonly Confused

Commonly Confused

  • Is it 'forty' or 'fourty'?

    This is usage
  • 'Awhile' vs. 'A While'

    There are rules, but who's listening?
  • How and When to Use 'Sometime' and 'Anytime'

    Or 'some time' and 'any time'
  • Your vs. You're: How to Use Them Correctly

    Here's your explanation, and you're welcome
  • See All

'Canceled' or 'cancelled'?

One L or two?

Usage Notes

See More

Verbs, Explained: A Guide to Tenses and Types

Verbs are more complicated than they look

First, Second and Third Person Explained

First, second, and third person explained

31 Useful Rhetorical Devices

Beyond 'simile' and 'metaphor'

Are 'funner' and 'funnest' real words?

We got a whole mess of fun here, folks

Can you use 'comprised of'?

It's been in use for centuries.
See More

Spelling & Pronunciation

Spelling & Pronunciation

  • The Many Plurals of 'Octopus'

    But which is correct?
  • How to Remember the Spelling of 'Definitely'

    A definitive answer.
  • Video: Why is there a 'c' in 'indict'?

    And who put it there, anyway?
  • How to Pronounce 'Often'

    To \t\ or not to \t\?
  • See All

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

A learned explanation that is not wicked hard

Punctuation

See More

To Use or Not Use the "?" in Requests

"Would you read this, please."

All About Ellipses ...

How to use them … and talk about them

How to Use Word Division Dots and Syllable Hyphens

Dictionary secrets, revealed!

A Guide to Using Colons

We'll get to semicolons later.

A Guide to Using Semicolons

See More
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