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Words of the Year

2017 Word of the Year: Behind the Scenes

Editor Peter Sokolowski talks about 'feminism' and the rest of our Word of the Year 2017 selections


How did we choose feminism as our Word of the Year? Peter Sokolowski explains the data behind our decisions, and how these words reflect what was on people's minds this year.


Don't miss our in-depth look at feminism and our gallery of top trending words from 2017.

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2017 Word of the Year: Behind the Scenes

 

How we chose 'feminism'

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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.

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Some Odd Words with ISMO: "The One-derful Won"

 

Comedian ISMO tries to figure out 'one' and 'two'

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'One in the same' or 'One and the same'?

 

Is it all the same anyway?

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

 

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

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Words of the Year: 1066

 

English was never the same after the Norman Conquest

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Why Did Yankee Doodle Call a Feather 'Macaroni'?

 

What's with his feathered cap?

Games & Quizzes

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Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
anagrams on a chalk board
Word Builder Quiz Pick the letter that when added to a word will ma...
See All