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 soup vs soop
An Abbreviated History of American English Spelling

 

Soop, wimmen, and headake did not make the cut

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How Do You Pronounce 'Vase'?

 

And is one way more correct than the others?

play video its vs its
Its vs. It's

 

Some practical guidance, and interesting history, about a common mistake.

play fun funner funnest
Fun, Funner, Funnest

 

Why does it sound strange to say 'funner' or 'funnest?'

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How Do You Pronounce 'Groceries'?

 

Is there one standard way?