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?
209,242 views
No one calls it the Merriam-Webster comma. Why?
454,614 views
There, there. We'll sort it out.
104,182 views
The awkward case of 'his or her'
265,924 views
No other common verb follows the pattern of _sneak_…_snuck_. And no one's quite sure why.
71,840 views
They started as the same word, but their meanings have drifted apart over time.
54,535 views
Editor Emily Brewster clarifies the difference.
363,837 views
'Poets laureate'? 'Court-martials'? The curious history of postpositive adjectives in English.
290,204 views
Why does it sound strange to say 'funner' or 'funnest?'
265,071 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.
547,694 views
Our research turned up two archaic literal meanings
157,001 views
How an ancient philosophical movement devoted to the pursuit of virtue came to describe eye-rolling criticism.
41,247 views
The story of those iconic illustrations.
24,449 views
Soop, wimmen, and headake did not make the cut
162,447 views
We'll help you figure it out at once
886,702 views
796,007 views
How to use a word that (literally) drives some people nuts
453,139 views
Some imitative words are more surprising than others
324,821 views
And who put it there, anyway?
323,822 views
We're intent on clearing it up
315,301 views
Challenging Standardized Test Words, Vol. 2
Hear a word and type it out. How many can you get right?
Pick the best words!