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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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The True Story of the Backward Index

 

These people needed a computer

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Hot Mess

 

Our research turned up two archaic literal meanings

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'One in the same' or 'One and the same'?

 

Is it all the same anyway?

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Sneaked vs. Snuck

 

How the irregular 'snuck' sneaked into the dictionary

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What Is an Eggcorn?

 

And how did it get that name?

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Alright vs. All Right

 

Is 'alright' all right?