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'Acrostic' Spikes Following Hidden Messages in Letters of Resignation

"The initial letters form a word"

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Drawing a Conclusion About "Sketchy"

How did "sketchy" come to describe creeps?

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Time Traveler Quiz: Which Word Came First?

Which word entered the English language first?

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Words of the Year: 1066

Or, Why Pig Meat is Called 'Pork' and Cow Meat is Called 'Beef'

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Vocabulary Thrives in Darkness

Words for the goth in all of us

Videos

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Words of the Year: 1066

Or, Why Pig Meat is Called 'Pork' and Cow Meat is Called 'Beef'

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The Serial Comma

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

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2016 Word of the Year: Behind the Scenes

How we chose 'surreal'

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Alright vs. All Right

Is 'alright' all right?

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Is None Singular or Plural?

Or both? Or neither?

Latest Videos

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Grammar and Usage

Word History

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  1. acrostic "The initial letters form a word"

  2. Svengali 'A person who manipulates'

  3. syzygy An obscure astronomy term goes mainstream

  4. hegemon "Something having dominant influence over others"

  5. repugnant Trump clarifies his position on racism

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Test Your Vocabulary

Time Traveler Quiz: Which Word Came First?

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  • Which came first?
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Words at Play

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Drawing a Conclusion About "Sketchy"

How did "sketchy" come to describe creeps?

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What's the Singular of 'Scissors'?

A tricky, double-edged word origin.

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Great Words for Twilight and Darkness

Words for the goth in all of us

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Helium: This Word Brought to You by a Solar Eclipse

And by the Sun, with some help from Greek.

Word Games

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Time Traveler Quiz: Which Word Came First?

Which word entered the English language first?

Take the quiz
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Name More Food!

Test your knowledge of food vocabulary!

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Spell It
Spell It

Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?

Take the quiz
SCRABBLE® Sprint
SCRABBLE® Sprint

SCRABBLE® fans, sharpen your skills!

Play the game