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

play video schwa
The Schwa

 

The most common vowel sound in English causes many spelling problems.

play video literally
Literally

 

A word that (literally) drives people nuts

play video drive safe ly
Drive Safe: In Praise of Flat Adverbs

 

You don't have to end all your adverbs in -ly to talk right.

play is none singular or plural video
Is 'none' singular or plural?

 

Or both? Or neither?

play video hopefully
Hopefully

 

We believe the popular usage of this word is correct

play video soup vs soop
An Abbreviated History of American English Spelling

 

Soop, wimmen, and headake did not make the cut