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Est. 1828
Wordplay
For the love of language
Lost Words of Spring
There's a word for that
Why do we park in the driveway and drive on the parkway?
The answer to one of life's big questions
9 Other Words for Beautiful
Here are some additional words for calling something lovely
Arts & Culture
Obscure & Fun
Foreign
Games & Hobbies
Insults
Science & Nature
Word History
Popular
The Longest Long Words List
21 words with 21 letters or more
The Opposite of Déjà Vu
When the familiar becomes unrecognizable
The Words of the Week - Apr. 17
Lookups from Artemis II, New York City, and the Strait of Hormuz
Was 'nervous Nellie' a Real Person?
Sort of!
How long is a jiffy?
It depends who you ask
Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
We just can’t bananaquit them
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'?
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
See More
A List of The U.S. Military Ranks in Order
From Private to General of the Army
The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'
Here's how all this nonsense started
What does 'eighty-six' mean?
We won't refuse you service
The Changing Meaning of 'Elope'
Read this before you elope. Or 'elope.'
8 Words and Phrases from U.S. Presidents
How to sound presidential
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Obscure & Fun
Obscure & Fun
10 Hella Good U.S. Regionalisms
We’re on a word tour, going each and every place with a mic in our hand
Read
Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 1
Some may be more useful than others.
Read
'Arsy-Varsy,' and Other Snappy Reduplicatives
In the jinglejangle morning we’ll be chitchatting with these
Read
8 Uncommon Words Related to Love
You won't find these on candy conversation hearts, but maybe you should
Read
See All
Obscure Words for Everyday Feelings
There has to be a word for it.
Foreign
See More
'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
See More
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
12 More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
Words beloved even by cranky fans and pettichaps
Read
10 Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
Polly wanna ask what you meant by that, exactly?
Read
11 Words for Miserly People
We won't be stingy with them
Read
Not Nice and Too Nice: A Collection of Dysphemisms and Euphemisms
Words to soothe and annoy
Read
See All
Rare and Amusing Insults, Volume 3
Useful words for everyday interactions
Science & Nature
See More
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!
7 Especially Fitting Common Names for Plants
So you don't mix up your Swiss Cheese plants with your Dutchman's Breeches
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Word History
See More
'Pathetic': A History
An in-depth chronicle of inadequacy
7 Run-Down Words That Have Seen Better Days
They've taken a hit but are still standing.
Compound Words That Used to Make a Lot More Sense
How 'jack' met 'pot.' How 'wed' met 'lock.'
What Does 'Wi-Fi' Really Mean?
It’s probably not what you think
Skibidi, Mog & More: Gen Alpha Slang
Skibidi! Mog!! Rizz!!!
See More