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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How to Remember 'Affect' and 'Effect'

 

A simple way to keep them apart. (Most of the time.)

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How Do You Pronounce 'Vase'?

 

And is one way more correct than the others?

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Is singular 'they' a better choice?

 

The awkward case of 'his or her'

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Drive Safe: In Praise of Flat Adverbs

 

You don't have to end all your adverbs in -ly to talk right.

play video ending a sentence with a preposition
Ending a Sentence with a Preposition

 

An old-fashioned rule we can no longer put up with.

play video hopefully
Hopefully

 

We believe the popular usage of this word is correct