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!
The best way to find information in the dictionary
37,784 views
And is one more correct than the others?
205,872 views
No one calls it the Merriam-Webster comma. Why?
454,382 views
There, there. We'll sort it out.
104,004 views
The awkward case of 'his or her'
265,564 views
No other common verb follows the pattern of _sneak_…_snuck_. And no one's quite sure why.
71,498 views
They started as the same word, but their meanings have drifted apart over time.
54,100 views
Editor Emily Brewster clarifies the difference.
362,975 views
'Poets laureate'? 'Court-martials'? The curious history of postpositive adjectives in English.
289,876 views
Why does it sound strange to say 'funner' or 'funnest?'
264,651 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.
547,429 views
Our research turned up two archaic literal meanings
156,816 views
How an ancient philosophical movement devoted to the pursuit of virtue came to describe eye-rolling criticism.
41,097 views
The story of those iconic illustrations.
24,333 views
Soop, wimmen, and headake did not make the cut
162,242 views
We'll help you figure it out at once
886,605 views
794,363 views
How to use a word that (literally) drives some people nuts
452,758 views
Some imitative words are more surprising than others
324,588 views
And who put it there, anyway?
321,979 views
We're intent on clearing it up
315,055 views
Challenging Standardized Test Words, Vol. 2
Test your knowledge - and maybe learn something along the way.
Pick the best words!
