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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The best way to find information in the dictionary
37,766 views
And is one more correct than the others?
205,743 views
No one calls it the Merriam-Webster comma. Why?
454,373 views
There, there. We'll sort it out.
103,997 views
The awkward case of 'his or her'
265,540 views
No other common verb follows the pattern of _sneak_…_snuck_. And no one's quite sure why.
71,488 views
They started as the same word, but their meanings have drifted apart over time.
54,076 views
Editor Emily Brewster clarifies the difference.
362,929 views
'Poets laureate'? 'Court-martials'? The curious history of postpositive adjectives in English.
289,842 views
Why does it sound strange to say 'funner' or 'funnest?'
264,630 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.
547,412 views
Our research turned up two archaic literal meanings
156,809 views
How an ancient philosophical movement devoted to the pursuit of virtue came to describe eye-rolling criticism.
41,093 views
The story of those iconic illustrations.
24,328 views
Soop, wimmen, and headake did not make the cut
162,231 views
We'll help you figure it out at once
886,588 views
794,290 views
How to use a word that (literally) drives some people nuts
452,717 views
Some imitative words are more surprising than others
324,560 views
And who put it there, anyway?
321,829 views
We're intent on clearing it up
315,039 views
Challenging Standardized Test Words, Vol. 2
You know what it looks like… but what is it called?
Pick the best words!