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Word History

The History of 'Cynic'

How an ancient philosophical movement devoted to the pursuit of virtue came to describe eye-rolling criticism.

How an ancient philosophical movement devoted to the pursuit of virtue came to describe eye-rolling criticism.

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play video cynic
The History of 'Cynic'

 

How an ancient philosophical movement devoted to the pursuit of virtue came to describe eye-rolling criticism.

play video title words of the year 1066
Words of the Year: 1066

 

English was never the same after the Norman Conquest

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'All over sudden' vs. 'All of a sudden'

 

Figuring it out at once

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Who vs. Whom

 

Good news for those who feel stuffy saying 'whom.'

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How Do You Pronounce 'Vase'?

 

And is one way more correct than the others?

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What Is an Eggcorn?

 

And how did it get that name?

play video schwa
The Schwa

 

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

Games & Quizzes

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Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
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The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
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Missing Link Quiz July 2026 Five seconds to figure out the word that fits bot...
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