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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.

Up next

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

 

Peter Sokolowski talks about the year's selections

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Hopefully

 

We believe the popular usage of this word is correct

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Further vs. Farther

 

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

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What Is an Eggcorn?

 

And how did it get that name?

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Literally

 

A word that (literally) drives people nuts

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What is a malaprop?

 

We'll tell you all the perpendiculars

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Affect vs. Effect

 

Here's the lowdown on what may be the most confusing pair of words in the English language.

Games & Quizzes

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Spot the Misspelled Word Quiz March 2026 Guage your ability to identify out-of-place letters.
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