SINCE 1828

An Encyclopædia Britannica Company

Devilish Words

Don't blame a word use error on the devil.

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Time Traveler Quiz: Which Word Came First?

Which word entered the English language first?

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Words of the Year: 1066

Or, Why Pig Meat is Called 'Pork' and Cow Meat is Called 'Beef'

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We're Down With You Being—or Your Being?—a Square

It's about (you? your?) having your say.

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'Svengali' Bannon leaving White House

'A person who manipulates'

Words At Play

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Let's Talk About 'Anyways'

But you won't like it

Read

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We're Down With You Being—or Your Being?—a Square

It's about (you? your?) having your say.

Read

Devilish Words

Don't blame a word use error on the devil.

Read

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How 'Wonderful' Lost Its Sense of Wonder

A case of semantic bleaching

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Don't Let Reading This Be Another 'Coulda' 'Shoulda' 'Woulda'

PSA: They're three separate words.

Read

Recent Posts

Good Words for Strong Flavors

A tasting menu of vivid flavor descriptions

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What's the Plural of 'Maitre d''?

Use this word to confuse a French speaker.

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Words of the Year: 1066

Or, Why Pig Meat is Called 'Pork' and Cow Meat is Called 'Beef'

Words We're Watching

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Words We're Watching: 'Record Scratch'

Used as an interjection

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Don't Be a Victim of 'Smishing'

Read

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'Tetris' is Being Used as a Verb

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Infomania in the Information Age

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Usage & Grammar

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Are You Craving 'Ice Tea' or 'Iced Tea'?

When tea is cold and refreshing, is it 'ice tea' or 'iced tea'?

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'Motif' vs 'Leitmotif'

A pattern emerges.

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Our (Almost) Final Word on 'Penultimate'

The ultimate guide to using penultimate.

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The Grammatical History of 'Awaken' / 'Awoken' / 'Awakened'

Or you can just go back to bed.

Commonly Confused

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Can 'bemuse' mean 'amuse'?

The word actually comes from the Muses

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'Timber' vs 'Timbre'

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Is It 'Invoke' or 'Evoke'?

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'Chord' vs. 'Cord'

Read

SEE ALL WORDS AT PLAY

WORD OF THE DAY

hebetude

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lethargy or dullness

Test Your Vocabulary

Time Traveler Quiz: Which Word Came First?

Which came first?

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Test your knowledge - and maybe learn something along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ

SCRABBLE® Sprint

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

TAKE THE QUIZ

Ask the Editors

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Words of the Year: 1066

Or, Why Pig Meat is Called 'Pork' and Cow Meat is Called 'Beef'

How Often Is 'Biweekly'?

Don't get us started on 'bimonthly'

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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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Time Traveler Quiz: Which Word Came First?

Which word entered the English language first?

Take the quiz

Name More Food!

Test your knowledge of food vocabulary!

Take the quiz

True or False?

Test your knowledge - and maybe learn something along the way.

Take the quiz

SCRABBLE® Sprint

SCRABBLE® Sprint

SCRABBLE® fans, sharpen your skills!

Play the game