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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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How Do You Pronounce 'Vase'?

 

And is one way more correct than the others?

play body parts video
When Body Parts Are Also Verbs

 

Head, shoulders, metaphors, and toes

play video his or her
Is singular 'they' a better choice?

 

The awkward case of 'his or her'

play mrs malaprop
What is a malaprop?

 

We'll tell you all the perpendiculars

play video who vs whom
Who vs. Whom

 

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

play video websters video of 1864
Webster's Dictionary of 1864

 

The landmark edition that transformed the way dictionaries are made.

Games & Quizzes

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Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
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