On the shape of office politics

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Help your kids build their vocabulary!

You all would not have guessed some of these

This is not the vegetarian menu.

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Trump blocks ambassador from testimony

Videos

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A Look at Uncommon Onomatopoeia

Some imitative words are more surprising than others

How Do You Pronounce 'Vase'?

And is one way more correct than the others?

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Ghost Word

The story of an imaginary word that managed to sneak past our editors and enter the dictionary.

The Serial Comma

Why don't they call it the Merriam-Webster comma?

alright allright video

Alright vs. All Right

Is 'alright' all right?

Latest Videos

On Contractions of Multiple Words

You all would not have guessed some of these

70,199 views

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'Belfry' — Video Word of the Day 10/14/2019

noun - a bell tower

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onomatopoeia video

A Look at Uncommon Onomatopoeia

Some imitative words are more surprising than others

46,881 views

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'Exoteric' — Video Word of the Day 10/14/2019

adj. - suitable to be imparted to the public

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body parts video

When Body Parts Are Also Verbs

Head, shoulders, metaphors, and toes

33,701 views

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'Idée fixe' — Video Word of the Day 10/11/2019

noun - an idea that dominates one's mind

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Grammar and Usage

How Do You Pronounce 'Vase'?

And is one more correct than the others?

142,461 views

there theyre their video

There, They're, Their

There, there. We'll sort it out.

95,656 views

video his or her

Is Singular 'They' a Better Choice?

The awkward case of 'his or her'

227,858 views

sneaked vs snuck video

Sneaked vs. Snuck

No other common verb follows the pattern of _sneak_…_snuck_. And no one's quite sure why.

49,901 views

further vs farther video

Further vs. Farther

They started as the same word, but their meanings have drifted apart over time.

39,648 views

video lay vs lie

Lay vs. Lie

Tripping up English Speakers for 700 years

307,836 views

video title attorney generals

Is It 'Attorney Generals' Or 'Attorneys General'?

'Poets laureate'? 'Court-martials'? The curious history of postpositive adjectives in English.

274,934 views

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Fun, Funner, Funnest

Why does it sound strange to say 'funner' or 'funnest?'

246,551 views

video its vs its

Its vs. It's

Some practical guidance, and interesting history, about a common mistake.

70,708 views

Word History

video title words of the year 1066

Words of the Year: 1066

Why is pig meat is called 'pork' and cow meat is called 'beef?' Because English took on a big serving of French words following the Norman Conquest.

532,064 views

Hot Mess

"Verily, I say unto you, the public is a hot mess"

143,796 views

Cynic

How an ancient philosophical movement devoted to the pursuit of virtue came to describe eye-rolling criticism.

32,246 views

videos pictures in the dictionary

Pictures in the Dictionary

The story of those iconic illustrations.

20,248 views

video soup vs soop

Soop vs. Soup

Noah Webster: the man who changed the way we spell... up to a point.

64,128 views

Most Viewed

video title words of the year 1066

Words of the Year: 1066

Why is pig meat is called 'pork' and cow meat is called 'beef?' Because English took on a big serving of French words following the Norman Conquest.

532,064 views

The Serial Comma

No one calls it the Merriam-Webster comma. Why?

427,287 views

video literally

Literally

How to use a word that (literally) drives some people nuts.

368,906 views

video lay vs lie

Lay vs. Lie

Tripping up English Speakers for 700 years

307,836 views

video ghost words

Ghost Word

The story of an imaginary word that managed to sneak past our editors and enter the dictionary.

284,342 views

video title attorney generals

Is It 'Attorney Generals' Or 'Attorneys General'?

'Poets laureate'? 'Court-martials'? The curious history of postpositive adjectives in English.

274,934 views

2017 Word of the Year: Behind the Scenes

Editor Peter Sokolowski talks about 'feminism' and the rest of our Word of the Year 2017 selections

248,361 views

fun funner funnest

Fun, Funner, Funnest

Why does it sound strange to say 'funner' or 'funnest?'

246,551 views

video old school grammar humorsome

Old-School Grammar

Many of today's grammar rules can be traced to the opinions of one 18th century writer.

234,292 views

Word of the Day

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'Belfry' — Video Word of the Day 10/14/2019

Learn the meaning and history of 'belfry' in our video series with TIME

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'Exoteric' — Video Word of the Day 10/14/2019

Learn the meaning and history of 'exoteric' in our video series with TIME

New!

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'Idée fixe' — Video Word of the Day 10/11/2019

Learn the meaning and history of 'idée fixe' in our video series with TIME

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'Blandish' — Video Word of the Day 10/10/2019

Learn the meaning and history of 'blandish' in our video series with TIME

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'Scapegoat' — Video Word of the Day 10/9/2019

Learn the meaning and history of 'scapegoat' in our video series with TIME

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'Caustic' — Video Word of the Day 10/8/2019

Learn the meaning and history of 'caustic' in our video series with TIME

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Where in the World? A Quiz

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Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?

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Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

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