Language Usage and Word History Videos

Latest Videos

How to Remember the Spelling of 'Definitely'

A definitive answer.

70,194 views

Video: Why Is There a 'C' in 'Indict'?

And who put it there, anyway?

43,294 views

Why Did Yankee Doodle Call a Feather 'Macaroni'?

What's with his feathered cap?

30,981 views

emily-brewster-with-the-words-effect-affect-on-screen

How to Remember 'Affect' and 'Effect'

Most of the time.

104,044 views

How Do You Pronounce 'Groceries'?

Is there one standard way?

61,892 views

2019 Word of the Year: Behind the Scenes

How we chose 'they'

50,531 views

Grammar and Usage

How Do You Pronounce 'Vase'?

And is one more correct than the others?

149,682 views

There, They're, Their

There, there. We'll sort it out.

96,898 views

Is Singular 'They' a Better Choice?

The awkward case of 'his or her'

237,752 views

Sneaked vs. Snuck

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

51,320 views

Further vs. Farther

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

40,789 views

Lay vs. Lie

Tripping up English Speakers for 700 years

308,923 views

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

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

277,011 views

Fun, Funner, Funnest

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

248,346 views

Its vs. It's

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

71,854 views

Word History

Words of the Year: 1066

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.

534,111 views

Hot Mess

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

145,033 views

Cynic

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

32,983 views

Pictures in the Dictionary

The story of those iconic illustrations.

20,501 views

Soop vs. Soup

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

65,387 views

Most Viewed

Words of the Year: 1066

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.

534,111 views

The Serial Comma

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

429,210 views

Literally

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

388,583 views

Lay vs. Lie

Tripping up English Speakers for 700 years

308,923 views

Ghost Word

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

286,240 views

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

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

277,011 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

249,616 views

Fun, Funner, Funnest

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

248,346 views

Is Singular 'They' a Better Choice?

The awkward case of 'his or her'

237,752 views

Videos

How to Remember 'Affect' and 'Effect'

A Look at Uncommon Onomatopoeia

How Do You Pronounce 'Vase'?

Ghost Word

The Serial Comma

Latest Videos

How to Remember the Spelling of 'Definitely'

Video: Why Is There a 'C' in 'Indict'?

Why Did Yankee Doodle Call a Feather 'Macaroni'?

How to Remember 'Affect' and 'Effect'

How Do You Pronounce 'Groceries'?

2019 Word of the Year: Behind the Scenes

Grammar and Usage

How Do You Pronounce 'Vase'?

There, They're, Their

Is Singular 'They' a Better Choice?

Sneaked vs. Snuck

Further vs. Farther

Lay vs. Lie

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

Fun, Funner, Funnest

Its vs. It's

Word History

Words of the Year: 1066

Hot Mess

Cynic

Pictures in the Dictionary

Soop vs. Soup

Most Viewed

Words of the Year: 1066

The Serial Comma

Literally

Lay vs. Lie

Ghost Word

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

2017 Word of the Year: Behind the Scenes

Fun, Funner, Funnest

Is Singular 'They' a Better Choice?

Test Your Vocabulary