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Test your knowledge of strange human behaviors.

2017 Word of the Year: Behind the Scenes

How we chose 'feminism'

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When English borrows from another alphabet

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'Preventive' or 'Preventative'?

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'a person of low moral character'

The True Story of the Backward Index

These people needed a computer

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Featuring: Peter Sokolowski

There it sits, hidden in plain view on a set of shelves in the basement of the Merriam-Webster offices: the Backward Index. But why would anyone type out 315,000 words spelled in reverse?

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Words at Play

Words from Letters in the Greek Alphabet

When English borrows from another alphabet

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'Preventive' or 'Preventative'?

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Words We're Watching: 'Bluebeard,' the Verb

No, it's not a coiffure trend

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Where 'Cliff-hangers' Come From

You're on the edge of your seat

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Odd Habits and Quirks Quiz

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More Confusing Words—Quiz

How many of these commonly confused words do you know?

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Name That Thing

Name That Thing

Test your visual vocabulary with our 10-question challenge!

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Dictionary Devil

Dictionary Devil

The dictionary has been scrambled—can you put it back together?

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