Legendary figures and the words that define them
Celebrated writers share their quest to find the right words
We're gonna stop you right there
What about Day Tomorrow?
And how did it get that name?
Word Icons
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And is one more correct than the others?
216,150 views
No one calls it the Merriam-Webster comma. Why?
455,489 views
There, there. We'll sort it out.
104,545 views
The awkward case of 'his or her'
266,605 views
No other common verb follows the pattern of _sneak_…_snuck_. And no one's quite sure why.
72,219 views
They started as the same word, but their meanings have drifted apart over time.
55,544 views
Editor Emily Brewster clarifies the difference.
364,995 views
'Poets laureate'? 'Court-martials'? The curious history of postpositive adjectives in English.
290,665 views
Why does it sound strange to say 'funner' or 'funnest?'
265,819 views
Why is pig meat called 'pork' and cow meat called 'beef?' Because English took on a big serving of French words following the Norman Conquest.
548,367 views
Our research turned up two archaic literal meanings
157,489 views
How an ancient philosophical movement devoted to the pursuit of virtue came to describe eye-rolling criticism.
41,616 views
The story of those iconic illustrations.
24,672 views
Soop, wimmen, and headake did not make the cut
162,890 views
We'll help you figure it out at once
887,032 views
800,180 views
How to use a word that (literally) drives some people nuts
453,672 views
And who put it there, anyway?
328,279 views
Some imitative words are more surprising than others
325,466 views
We're intent on clearing it up
315,714 views
Challenging Words You Should Know
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