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An easygoing, detailed account

Telling an entire story in a single word

You all would not have guessed some of these

spy camera photo

Comey comments on Barr's use of 'spy'

name that thing animal edition

How many animals can you identify?

Videos

How Do You Pronounce 'Vase'?

And is one way more correct than the others?

video ghost words

Ghost Word

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

The Serial Comma

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

alright allright video

Alright vs. All Right

Is 'alright' all right?

is none singular or plural video

Is None Singular or Plural?

Or both? Or neither?

Latest Videos

On Contractions of Multiple Words

You all would not have guessed some of these

11,865 views

'Adversary' — Video Word of the Day 4/18/2019

noun - an enemy or opponent

New!

onomatopoeia video

A Look at Uncommon Onomatopoeia

Some imitative words are more surprising than others

15,767 views

'Gullible' — Video Word of the Day 4/17/2019

adj. - easily duped or cheated

New!

body parts video

When Body Parts Are Also Verbs

Head, shoulders, metaphors, and toes

14,558 views

'Shanghai' — Video Word of the Day 4/16/2019

verb - to trick or force into doing something

New!

Grammar and Usage

How Do You Pronounce 'Vase'?

And is one way more correct than the others?

137,789 views

there theyre their video

There, They're, Their

There, there. We'll sort it out.

95,026 views

video his or her

Is Singular 'They' a Better Choice?

The awkward case of 'his or her'

222,612 views

sneaked vs snuck video

Sneaked vs. Snuck

How the irregular 'snuck' sneaked into the dictionary

49,206 views

further vs farther video

Further vs. Farther

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

38,849 views

video lay vs lie

Lay vs. Lie

Editor Emily Brewster clarifies the difference.

306,822 views

video title attorney generals

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

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

274,001 views

fun funner funnest

Fun, Funner, Funnest

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

245,550 views

video its vs its

Its vs. It's

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

69,692 views

Word History

video title words of the year 1066

Words of the Year: 1066

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

530,996 views

Hot Mess

"The public is a hot mess"

143,072 views

Cynic

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

32,016 views

videos pictures in the dictionary

Pictures in the Dictionary

The story of those iconic illustrations.

20,055 views

video soup vs soop

Soop vs. Soup

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

63,823 views

Most Viewed

video title words of the year 1066

Words of the Year: 1066

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

530,996 views

The Serial Comma

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

426,331 views

video literally

Literally

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

357,451 views

video lay vs lie

Lay vs. Lie

Editor Emily Brewster clarifies the difference.

306,822 views

video ghost words

Ghost Word

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

282,677 views

video title attorney generals

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

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

274,001 views

2017 Word of the Year: Behind the Scenes

How we chose 'feminism'

247,673 views

fun funner funnest

Fun, Funner, Funnest

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

245,550 views

video old school grammar humorsome

Old-School Grammar

Many of today's grammar rules can be traced to the opinions of one 18th century writer.

234,089 views

Word of the Day

'Adversary' — Video Word of the Day 4/18/2019

noun - an enemy or opponent

New!

'Gullible' — Video Word of the Day 4/17/2019

adj. - easily duped or cheated

New!

'Shanghai' — Video Word of the Day 4/16/2019

verb - to trick or force into doing something

New!

'Katzenjammer' — Video Word of the Day 4/15/2019

noun - a hangover or a discordant clamor

New!

thole word of the day

'Thole' — Video Word of the Day 4/12/2019

verb - to endure

6,154 views

'Despot' — Video Word of the Day 4/11/2019

noun - a ruler with absolute power and authority

New!

See all Videos

Test Your Vocabulary

Name That Thing: Animal Edition

Name that animal:

Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?

TAKE THE QUIZ

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

TAKE THE QUIZ