✨📕 The NEW Collegiate Dictionary, 12th Edition Over 5,000 words added — Learn More!
✨📕 The NEW Collegiate Dictionary — Learn More!
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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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The True Story of the Backward Index

 

These people needed a computer

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Pictures in the Dictionary

 

The story of those iconic illustrations.

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On Contractions of Multiple Words

 

You all would not have guessed some of these

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How to Remember the Spelling of 'Definitely'

 

A definitive answer.

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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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What Is 'Semantic Bleaching'?

 

How 'literally' can mean "figuratively"

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i.e. vs. e.g.

 

Often used, often confused. Here's some guidance and insight.

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
cow coming home
Farm Idioms Quiz If you've got a pig in a poke - what exactly is a...
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