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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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play backward index mystery
The True Story of the Backward Index

 

These people needed a computer

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When Body Parts Are Also Verbs

 

Head, shoulders, metaphors, and toes

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Fun, Funner, Funnest

 

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

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'Mispronunciations' That May Be Fine

 

'Mischievous,' 'nuclear,' and other words to pronounce with caution.

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An Abbreviated History of American English Spelling

 

Soop, wimmen, and headake did not make the cut

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Pictures in the Dictionary

 

The story of those iconic illustrations.

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How a Ghost Word Appeared in the Dictionary

 

An imaginary word that snuck into the dictionary