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

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The story of those iconic illustrations.

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An Abbreviated History of American English Spelling

 

Soop, wimmen, and headake did not make the cut

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Many of today's grammar rules can be traced to the opinions of one 18th century writer.

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'Between you and __'? Simple guidance for a tricky pronoun.