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NY Times: Trump's Call Ignites 'Imbroglio'

"a public scandal"

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17 English Words that Come From Japanese

Some borrowed words don't get returned

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Learned Fools: On Names for Students

Where did we get 'freshman' and 'sophomore'?

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The Exceptions Quiz III

Which of these things doesn't belong?

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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).

Latest Videos

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Grammar and Usage

Word History

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  1. imbroglio "a public scandal"

  2. spurious of a deceitful nature or quality

  3. righteous We provide an assortment of definitions

  4. Kafkaesque 'A nightmarish quality'

  5. mike "microphone"

SEE ALL

Test Your Vocabulary

The Exceptions Quiz III

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  • Which of these words does not mean "nonsense"?
Spell It

Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?

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Word Winder's CrossWinder

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

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Words at Play

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Learned Fools: On Names for Students

Where did we get 'freshman' and 'sophomore'?

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The Synonyms 'Discover' and 'Invent'

In the past, you could invent fruit.

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I'll Have the Us(ual)

Shortening 'usual': easy to say, hard to spell

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The Origins of 'Lobbyist'

From the front hallways to the back rooms

Word Games

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The Exceptions Quiz III

Which of these things doesn't belong?

Take the quiz
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Forms of Government Quiz

Name that government! Or something like that.

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Spell It
Spell It

Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?

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Word Winder's CrossWinder
Word Winder's CrossWinder

A game of winding words.

Play the game