Legendary figures and the words that define them
Celebrated writers share their quest to find the right words
We're gonna stop you right there
What about Day Tomorrow?
And how did it get that name?
Word Icons
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The best way to find information in the dictionary
37,351 views
And is one more correct than the others?
202,700 views
No one calls it the Merriam-Webster comma. Why?
453,504 views
There, there. We'll sort it out.
103,517 views
The awkward case of 'his or her'
264,389 views
No other common verb follows the pattern of _sneak_…_snuck_. And no one's quite sure why.
71,112 views
They started as the same word, but their meanings have drifted apart over time.
53,398 views
Editor Emily Brewster clarifies the difference.
361,318 views
'Poets laureate'? 'Court-martials'? The curious history of postpositive adjectives in English.
289,455 views
Why does it sound strange to say 'funner' or 'funnest?'
263,831 views
Why is pig meat called 'pork' and cow meat called 'beef?' Because English took on a big serving of French words following the Norman Conquest.
547,056 views
Our research turned up two archaic literal meanings
156,591 views
How an ancient philosophical movement devoted to the pursuit of virtue came to describe eye-rolling criticism.
40,852 views
The story of those iconic illustrations.
24,217 views
Soop, wimmen, and headake did not make the cut
161,976 views
We'll help you figure it out at once
886,258 views
791,366 views
How to use a word that (literally) drives some people nuts
451,625 views
Some imitative words are more surprising than others
324,107 views
And who put it there, anyway?
319,935 views
We're intent on clearing it up
314,523 views
Face Your Fears
Hear a word and type it out. How many can you get right?
You can make only 12 words. Pick the best ones!