play backward index mystery
Words Matter

The True Story of the Backward Index

These people needed a computer


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?

Up next

play backward index mystery
The True Story of the Backward Index

 

These people needed a computer

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How to Remember 'Affect' and 'Effect'

 

A simple way to keep them apart. (Most of the time.)

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Drive Safe: In Praise of Flat Adverbs

 

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

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'Everyday' vs. 'Every Day'

 

A simple trick to keep them separate

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Who vs. Whom

 

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

play video title attorney generals
Is It 'Attorney Generals' Or 'Attorneys General'?

 

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