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Words of the Year

2015 Word of the Year: Behind the Scenes

Editor Peter Sokolowski talks about our Word of the Year selections.



The words people look up show our curiosity, and the lookups are just the beginning of reflection on and discussion of the topics that are on our minds.

See how we select our Word of the Year, along with the full list of words.

And get details about all the lookups, including the events that triggered them, at our Word of the Year Gallery.

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play word of the year 2015 video
2015 Word of the Year: Behind the Scenes

 

Peter Sokolowski talks about the year's selections

play there theyre their video
There, They're, Their

 

There, there. We'll sort it out.

play is none singular or plural video
Is 'none' singular or plural?

 

Or both? Or neither?

play further vs farther video
Further vs. Farther

 

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

play video drive safe ly
Drive Safe: In Praise of Flat Adverbs

 

You don't have to end all your adverbs in -ly to talk right.

play video ghost words
How a Ghost Word Appeared in the Dictionary

 

An imaginary word that snuck into the dictionary

play video who vs whom
Who vs. Whom

 

Good news for those who feel stuffy saying 'whom.'