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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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Sneaked vs. Snuck

 

How the irregular 'snuck' sneaked into the dictionary

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What is a malaprop?

 

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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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Why is there a 'd' in 'fridge' but not in 'refrigerator'?

 

Thawing one of the mysteries of English

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Hot Mess

 

Our research turned up two archaic literal meanings

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The Schwa

 

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