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

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How to Remember 'Affect' and 'Effect'

 

A simple way to keep them apart. (Most of the time.)

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An Abbreviated History of American English Spelling

 

Soop, wimmen, and headake did not make the cut

play there theyre their video
There, They're, Their

 

There, there. We'll sort it out.

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Further vs. Farther

 

They started as same word, but their meanings have drifted apart over time.

play video lay vs lie
Lay vs. Lie

 

Editor Emily Brewster clarifies the difference.

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What Is an Eggcorn?

 

And how did it get that name?