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June 2017 Words of the Day Quiz

Summer's first WOTD quiz.

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In Tech, What Does 'K' Mean?

A buzzword with a long history.

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SCOTUS: 'Bona Fide' relationships

Made in good faith

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Pretty in 'Pink'

From Fuchsia to Baker-Miller Pink

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Is it wrong to use 'decimate' to mean 'destroy'?

Language changes

Latest Video

decimate-video
Is it wrong to use 'decimate' to mean 'destroy'?

Language changes

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The Serial Comma

Why don't they call it the Merriam-Webster comma?

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Is it 'I Could Care Less' or 'I Couldn't Care Less'?

Because we care

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2016 Word of the Year: Behind the Scenes

How we chose 'surreal'

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Hot Mess

"The public is a hot mess"

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How to Use the Subjunctive in English

If I were you, I'd watch this

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How Often Is 'Biweekly'?

Don't get us started on 'bimonthly'

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Malaprop

We'll tell you all the perpendiculars

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Alright vs. All Right

Is 'alright' all right?

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How Icy Greenland Got Its Name

Was 'Even Icier Land' taken?

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The True Story of the Backward Index

These people needed a computer

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Is None Singular or Plural?

Or both? Or neither?

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There, They're, Their

There, there. We'll sort it out.

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Is Singular 'They' a Better Choice?

The awkward case of 'his or her'

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Sneaked vs. Snuck

How the irregular snuck sneaked into the dictionary

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2015 Word of the Year: Behind the Scenes

Editor Peter Sokolowski talks about our Word of the Year selections.

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How to Read a French Menu

How to amuse-bouche without begging pardon for your French

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Further vs. Farther

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

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Bring vs. Take

Both words imply motion, but the difference may be all in your head

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Lay vs. Lie

Editor Emily Brewster clarifies the difference.

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'Try and' vs. 'Try to'

When you're not sure which is right, try to remember to use 'try to.'

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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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Fun, Funner, Funnest

Why does it sound strange to say 'funner' or 'funnest?'

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2014 Word of the Year: Behind the Scenes

The inside scoop behind our 2014 Word of the Year selections.

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How the Months Got Their Names

December comes from the Latin word for 'tenth.' So then why is it our twelfth month?

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WORD OF THE DAY

scapegrace

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an incorrigible rascal

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WORD GAMES

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TRENDING NOW

  1. bona fide Made in good faith

  2. surrogate mother From TMZ to the dictionary.

  3. zealot A fanatical partisan

  4. stonewall to be uncooperative, obstructive, or evasive

  5. scurrilous Containing obscenities, abuse, or slander

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Ask the Editors

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Is it wrong to use 'decimate' to mean 'destroy'?

Language changes

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The Serial Comma

Why don't they call it the Merriam-Webster comma?

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Irregardless

It is in fact a real word (but that doesn't mean you should use it).

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Weird Plurals

One goose, two geese. One moose, two... moose. What's up with that?

Word Games

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June 2017 Words of the Day Quiz

Summer's first WOTD quiz.

Take the quiz
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Yearbook Superlatives Quiz

Is that your picture under "Largest Vocabulary"?

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How Strong Is Your Vocabulary?
How Strong Is Your Vocabulary?

Test your vocabulary with our 10-question quiz!

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