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
New!
And is one more correct than the others?
209,713 views
No one calls it the Merriam-Webster comma. Why?
454,643 views
There, there. We'll sort it out.
104,205 views
The awkward case of 'his or her'
265,951 views
No other common verb follows the pattern of _sneak_…_snuck_. And no one's quite sure why.
71,856 views
They started as the same word, but their meanings have drifted apart over time.
54,590 views
Editor Emily Brewster clarifies the difference.
363,888 views
'Poets laureate'? 'Court-martials'? The curious history of postpositive adjectives in English.
290,227 views
Why does it sound strange to say 'funner' or 'funnest?'
265,109 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.
547,744 views
Our research turned up two archaic literal meanings
157,026 views
How an ancient philosophical movement devoted to the pursuit of virtue came to describe eye-rolling criticism.
41,266 views
The story of those iconic illustrations.
24,465 views
Soop, wimmen, and headake did not make the cut
162,457 views
We'll help you figure it out at once
886,717 views
796,309 views
How to use a word that (literally) drives some people nuts
453,168 views
Some imitative words are more surprising than others
324,852 views
And who put it there, anyway?
324,072 views
We're intent on clearing it up
315,328 views
Face Your Fears
Hear a word and type it out. How many can you get right?
Pick the best words!
