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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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When Body Parts Are Also Verbs

 

Head, shoulders, metaphors, and toes

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'Nip it in the butt' or 'Nip it in the bud'?

 

We're gonna stop you right there

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An Abbreviated History of American English Spelling

 

Soop, wimmen, and headake did not make the cut

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Some Odd Words with ISMO: "Junk in the Trunk"

 

Comedian ISMO on what separates a boot from a trunk

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How a Word Gets into the Dictionary

 

What our editors are looking for when they enter words in Merriam-Webster.

play ismo merriam webster one
Some Odd Words with ISMO: "The One-derful Won"

 

Comedian ISMO tries to figure out 'one' and 'two'