Wordplay

 For the love of language

The Opposite of Déjà Vu

When the familiar becomes unrecognizable

Did Orange the Fruit or the Color Come First?

The answer to a color coded language riddle

16 Glee-ridden Words from Schitt's Creek

Don’t watch without reading this, you little frippets!

Popular

Words For Things You Didn't Know Have Names, Vol. 3

When thingummy and whatsit won't do

Why Is the Letter ‘Z’ Associated With Sleeping?

A cartoon origin story

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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Ten More Words from Taylor Swift Songs

… Ready for them?

8 Delicious Words with Inedible Meanings

Which one is the apple of your eye?

'Gaslighting,' 'Woke,' 'Democracy,' and Other Top Lookups

We know you're going to look these up

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

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

Stay Woke

Tracing the history of 'woke'
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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

Rare and Amusing Insults, Volume 3

Useful words for everyday interactions

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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Is “GIF” Pronounced “Jiff” or “Giff”?

Why not both?

What Does 'Wi-Fi' Really Mean?

It’s probably not what you think

What Does 'QR Code' Stand For?

Not all abbreviations are as complex as they seem.

Skibidi, Mog & More: Gen Alpha Slang

Skibidi! Mog!! Rizz!!!

Words That Turned 100 in 2025

Happy Birthday to our Centenarians
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