Wordplay

 For the love of language

How Basketball Upsets Became 'Cinderellas'

A term that came from outta nowhere.

12 Words for Signs of Spring

Spring is springing

Why do we call it 'ides of March'?

And should we beware?

Popular

The Longest Long Words List

21 words with 21 letters or more

The Opposite of Déjà Vu

When the familiar becomes unrecognizable

Word Choices

Gabrielle Zevin

Novelist

Emily Flake

New Yorker Cartoonist

Celeste Ng

Novelist

Eli Cymet

Video Game Writer/Producer, Cuphead

Emma Straub

Novelist and Children’s Book Author

Arts & Culture

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Did 'orange' the fruit or the color come first?

The answer to a color coded language riddle

Ten Kinds of Happiness

Joyful words from around the world

17 Words for Dog Breeds

If you love dogs and words, you’re barking up the right tree

Ten More Words from Taylor Swift Songs

… Ready for them?

8 Delicious Words with Inedible Meanings

Which one is the apple of your eye?
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Obscure & Fun

Obscure & Fun

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 1

Some may be more useful than others.

Foreign

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'In Vino Veritas' and Other Latin Phrases to Live By

Top 10 Latin Phrases

10 of Our Favourite British Words

Please don't whinge about being knackered, you prat.

Digging Up the Latin Roots of 14 Abbreviations

Beyond 'i.e.' and 'e.g.'

All About Latin Plurals

Check your dictionary

Skunk, Bayou, and Other Words with Native American Origins

You've used more than you might think
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Games & Hobbies

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10 Words for Lesser-Known Games and Sports

Are you ready for some stoolball?

Winning Scrabble Words for Everyday People

You don't have to be a pro to play these words.

12 Words From Basketball

Plus a few terms that never quite made it

Popular Gaming Terms Explained

Nerfs, MMORPGs, and who the final boss really is

A Player's Guide to 'Q' without 'U' Words

Remember this and win.
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Insults

Insults

You Talk Too Much: 8 Words for the Wordy

You can't shut them up, but you can label them

Science & Nature

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Flower Etymologies For Your Spring Garden

A bouquet of floral origin stories

12 Bird Names that Sound Like Compliments

From the godwits at your favorite dictionary

12 Words for Signs of Spring

Spring is springing

'Blue Moon,' 'Wolf Moon,' and Other Moons to Look for Throughout the Year

More moons than you can shake a stick at

9 Superb Owl Words

Who cooks for you? Who cooks for you all? We do!
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Word History

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Why do we call it 'ides of March'?

And should we beware?

Why do we call it a 'flea market'?

Did they ever sell fleas?

The Origin of O'clock

The apostrophe that ate a whole word

The Origins of Daredevil

Hint: they've been around for a while

Why is the letter ‘Z’ associated with sleeping?

A cartoon origin story
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