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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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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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Video: Why is there a 'c' in 'indict'?

 

And who put it there, anyway?

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The Schwa

 

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

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Is It 'Hanger' or 'Hangar'?

 

How to remember which is which

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What Is 'Semantic Bleaching'?

 

How 'literally' can mean "figuratively"