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'Spox' May Go On The Record

From newsroom lingo to the mainstream

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17 English Words that Come From Japanese

Some borrowed words don't get returned

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Forms of Government Quiz

Name that government! Or something like that.

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McCain: Half-Baked, 'Spurious' Nationalism

of a deceitful nature or quality

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Words of the Year: 1066

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

Videos

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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?

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Irregardless

It is in fact a real word (but that doesn't mean you should use it).

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Grammar and Usage

Word History

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  1. spurious of a deceitful nature or quality

  2. righteous We provide an assortment of definitions

  3. Kafkaesque 'A nightmarish quality'

  4. mike "microphone"

  5. moron “a very stupid person”

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Forms of Government Quiz

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  • A gerontocracy is rule by:
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Words at Play

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'Spox' May Go On The Record

From newsroom lingo to the mainstream

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C'mon, Of Course 'Myriad' Is a Noun

For a myriad of reasons

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'Gamut' and 'Gambit' (and 'Gauntlet' Too)

Know when to use (or run) each.

tycoon
17 English Words that Come From Japanese

Some borrowed words don't get returned

Word Games

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Forms of Government Quiz

Name that government! Or something like that.

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Original Meanings Quiz

A quiz for the pedantic and those annoyed by them!

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Name That Thing
Name That Thing

Test your visual vocabulary with our 10-question challenge!

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Dictionary Devil
Dictionary Devil

The dictionary has been scrambled—can you put it back together?

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