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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'Nip it in the butt' or 'Nip it in the bud'?

 

We're gonna stop you right there

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Is It 'Hanger' or 'Hangar'?

 

How to remember which is which

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The Serial Comma Explained

 

Why don't they call it the Merriam-Webster comma?

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Healthy vs. Healthful

 

Why both words are equally good for you.

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On Contractions of Multiple Words

 

You all would not have guessed some of these