play backward index mystery
Words Matter

The True Story of the Backward Index

These people needed a computer


There it sits, hidden in plain view on a set of shelves in the basement of the Merriam-Webster offices: the Backward Index. But why would anyone type out 315,000 words spelled in reverse?

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play backward index mystery
The True Story of the Backward Index

 

These people needed a computer

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A Look at Uncommon Onomatopoeia

 

Some imitative words are more surprising than others

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Lay vs. Lie

 

Editor Emily Brewster clarifies the difference.

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Fun, Funner, Funnest

 

Why does it sound strange to say 'funner' or 'funnest?'

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How Do You Pronounce 'Vase'?

 

And is one way more correct than the others?

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How a Word Gets into the Dictionary

 

What our editors are looking for when they enter words in Merriam-Webster.

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What is a malaprop?

 

We'll tell you all the perpendiculars