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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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On Contractions of Multiple Words

 

You all would not have guessed some of these

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The Serial Comma Explained

 

Why don't they call it the Merriam-Webster comma?

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How a Word Gets into the Dictionary

 

What our editors are looking for when they enter words in Merriam-Webster.

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How Do You Pronounce 'Groceries'?

 

Is there one standard way?

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Lay vs. Lie

 

Editor Emily Brewster clarifies the difference.

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Who vs. Whom

 

Good news for those who feel stuffy saying 'whom.'