Legendary figures and the words that define them
Celebrated writers share their quest to find the right words
We're gonna stop you right there
What about Day Tomorrow?
And how did it get that name?
Word Icons
New!
And is one more correct than the others?
216,296 views
No one calls it the Merriam-Webster comma. Why?
455,541 views
There, there. We'll sort it out.
104,558 views
The awkward case of 'his or her'
266,634 views
No other common verb follows the pattern of _sneak_…_snuck_. And no one's quite sure why.
72,234 views
They started as the same word, but their meanings have drifted apart over time.
55,572 views
Editor Emily Brewster clarifies the difference.
365,045 views
'Poets laureate'? 'Court-martials'? The curious history of postpositive adjectives in English.
290,684 views
Why does it sound strange to say 'funner' or 'funnest?'
265,842 views
Why is pig meat called 'pork' and cow meat called 'beef?' Because English took on a big serving of French words following the Norman Conquest.
548,410 views
Our research turned up two archaic literal meanings
157,526 views
How an ancient philosophical movement devoted to the pursuit of virtue came to describe eye-rolling criticism.
41,641 views
The story of those iconic illustrations.
24,677 views
Soop, wimmen, and headake did not make the cut
162,909 views
We'll help you figure it out at once
887,050 views
800,309 views
How to use a word that (literally) drives some people nuts
453,700 views
And who put it there, anyway?
328,479 views
Some imitative words are more surprising than others
325,493 views
We're intent on clearing it up
315,726 views
Challenging Words You Should Know
Test your knowledge - and maybe learn something along the way.
Pick the best words!
