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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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Hot Mess

 

Our research turned up two archaic literal meanings

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What Is an Eggcorn?

 

And how did it get that name?

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The Serial Comma Explained

 

Why don't they call it the Merriam-Webster comma?

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Webster's Dictionary of 1864

 

The landmark edition that transformed the way dictionaries are made.

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A Look at Uncommon Onomatopoeia

 

Some imitative words are more surprising than others

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How Do You Pronounce 'Vase'?

 

And is one way more correct than the others?