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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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Is 'none' singular or plural?

 

Or both? Or neither?

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'Nip it in the butt' or 'Nip it in the bud'?

 

We're gonna stop you right there

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An Abbreviated History of American English Spelling

 

Soop, wimmen, and headake did not make the cut

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Sneaked vs. Snuck

 

How the irregular 'snuck' sneaked into the dictionary

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The History of 'Cynic'

 

How an ancient philosophical movement devoted to the pursuit of virtue came to describe eye-rolling criticism.

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Affect vs. Effect

 

Here's the lowdown on what may be the most confusing pair of words in the English language.