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'?

 

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How to Use a Dictionary

 

The best way to find information in the dictionary

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I vs. Me

 

'Between you and __'? Simple guidance for a tricky pronoun.

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An Abbreviated History of American English Spelling

 

Soop, wimmen, and headake did not make the cut

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Is It 'Hanger' or 'Hangar'?

 

How to remember which is which