Wordplay: For the Love of Language | Merriam-Webster

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12 Words for Signs of Spring

Spring is springing

The Opposite of Déjà Vu

When the familiar becomes unrecognizable

Why do we say 'fly off the handle'?

Why do we call it a 'flea market'?

Did they ever sell fleas?

17 Words for Dog Breeds

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

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

We’ve seen fire, we’ve seen rain, and we have many words for them

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

And why isn't it 'bury the lead'?

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE

10 words expert players use

Word Choices

Gabrielle Zevin

Emily Flake

New Yorker Cartoonist

Celeste Ng

Eli Cymet

Video Game Writer/Producer, Cuphead

Emma Straub

Novelist and Children’s Book Author

Arts & Culture

What's so extra about 'extra-virgin'?

The technical vocabulary hiding in your kitchen cabinet

Ten Kinds of Happiness

Joyful words from around the world

If You Like to Complain About 'Decimate'...

You'll love to hate these other words!

What exactly is a 'liberal'?

No one wants a 'servile arts' degree

15 Cheffy Words for Chefs (and Everyone Else)

Including 'cheffy'

Foreign

All About Latin Plurals

Check your dictionary

17 English Words That Come From Japanese

Some borrowed words don't get returned

Alcohol & Algebra: Common Words from Arabic

Number 4 might scare you

Schadenfreude and Other German Words Without Translation

Accept no substitutes

10 English Words from Dutch

Learn how to tell your caboodle from your caboose

Games & Hobbies

Why Is the Sport Called ‘Pickleball’?

The origin story is clearer than most sports

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

Remember this and win.

These Are Fighting Words

Common terms that come from boxing and wrestling

Winning Scrabble Words for Everyday People

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

Are You Ready for Some Football (Words)?

So you can do more than smile and nod when talking about the big game

Science & Nature

7 Luscious, Fruit-Based Idioms

For a touch of sweetness or acidity

12 Pairs of Commonly Confused Animal Words

The animal words went in two by two, hurrah, hurrah!

7 Common Idioms That Come from Chickens

Don't ask us which came first

12 Bird Names that Sound Like Compliments

From the godwits at your favorite dictionary

Amber, Auburn, Crimson and Other Colorful Words for Autumn Foliage

Peep these leaves.

Word History

What does 'at large' mean?

A holdover of an ancient meaning

Is “GIF” Pronounced “Jiff” or “Giff”?

Was 'nervous Nellie' a Real Person?

How a Word For "Blood" Came to Mean "Optimistic"

The Odd History of "Sanguine"

Much Ado about ‘Folie à deux’

From French psychiatry to the silver screen