Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
dictionary thesaurus
contractions
On Contractions of Multiple Words

You all would not have guessed some of these

alt-5d5d86152d00c
Meet Puku, Our New Kids' App!

Help your kids build their vocabulary!

egg-cream-drinks
The Disputed Origins of the 'Egg Cream'

A deliciously mysterious history

peter bruegel tower of babel painting
Where in the World? A Quiz

Do you know what languages these words come from?

noah-webster
Noah Webster's Spelling Wins and Fails

Some of his biggest successes and defeats

Videos

play onomatopoeia video
A Look at Uncommon Onomatopoeia

Some imitative words are more surprising than others

play image1815466723
How Do You Pronounce 'Vase'?

And is one way more correct than the others?

play video ghost words
Ghost Word

The story of an imaginary word that managed to sneak past our editors and enter the dictionary.

play serial comma
The Serial Comma

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

play alright allright video
Alright vs. All Right

Is 'alright' all right?

Latest Videos

contractions play
alt-5da7e6ed7ca16 play
onomatopoeia video play
alt-5da69e40031d1 play
body parts video play
alt-5da53da35fcdc play

Grammar and Usage

Word History

Most Viewed

Word of the Day

See all Videos
TRENDING NOW

  1. emolument Trump announces G-7 location

  2. kangaroo court Trump blocks ambassador from testimony

  3. coup Trump accuses Democrats of overthrow attempt

SEE ALL

Test Your Vocabulary

Where in the World? A Quiz

  • peter bruegel tower of babel painting
  • What language does pajama come from?
Spell It

Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?

TAKE THE QUIZ
Add Diction

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ
Words at Play
Word Games