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
37,767 views
And is one more correct than the others?
205,761 views
No one calls it the Merriam-Webster comma. Why?
454,375 views
There, there. We'll sort it out.
103,998 views
The awkward case of 'his or her'
265,542 views
No other common verb follows the pattern of _sneak_…_snuck_. And no one's quite sure why.
71,490 views
They started as the same word, but their meanings have drifted apart over time.
54,079 views
Editor Emily Brewster clarifies the difference.
362,936 views
'Poets laureate'? 'Court-martials'? The curious history of postpositive adjectives in English.
289,847 views
Why does it sound strange to say 'funner' or 'funnest?'
264,631 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.
547,415 views
Our research turned up two archaic literal meanings
156,811 views
How an ancient philosophical movement devoted to the pursuit of virtue came to describe eye-rolling criticism.
41,093 views
The story of those iconic illustrations.
24,329 views
Soop, wimmen, and headake did not make the cut
162,231 views
We'll help you figure it out at once
886,589 views
794,296 views
How to use a word that (literally) drives some people nuts
452,722 views
Some imitative words are more surprising than others
324,562 views
And who put it there, anyway?
321,839 views
We're intent on clearing it up
315,041 views
Commonly Misspelled Words Vol. 2 Quiz
Test your vocabulary with our 10-question quiz!
Pick the best words!