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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

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.

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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.

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Hopefully

 

We believe the popular usage of this word is correct

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How a Ghost Word Appeared in the Dictionary

 

An imaginary word that snuck into the dictionary

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Is 'none' singular or plural?

 

Or both? Or neither?

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What Is 'Semantic Bleaching'?

 

How 'literally' can mean "figuratively"