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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And is one more correct than the others?
206,588 views
No one calls it the Merriam-Webster comma. Why?
454,447 views
There, there. We'll sort it out.
104,061 views
The awkward case of 'his or her'
265,709 views
No other common verb follows the pattern of _sneak_…_snuck_. And no one's quite sure why.
71,576 views
They started as the same word, but their meanings have drifted apart over time.
54,203 views
Editor Emily Brewster clarifies the difference.
363,228 views
'Poets laureate'? 'Court-martials'? The curious history of postpositive adjectives in English.
289,980 views
Why does it sound strange to say 'funner' or 'funnest?'
264,778 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.
547,505 views
Our research turned up two archaic literal meanings
156,871 views
How an ancient philosophical movement devoted to the pursuit of virtue came to describe eye-rolling criticism.
41,141 views
The story of those iconic illustrations.
24,357 views
Soop, wimmen, and headake did not make the cut
162,353 views
We'll help you figure it out at once
886,632 views
794,788 views
How to use a word that (literally) drives some people nuts
452,889 views
Some imitative words are more surprising than others
324,659 views
And who put it there, anyway?
322,513 views
We're intent on clearing it up
315,120 views
Name That Flower
Test your knowledge - and maybe learn something along the way.
Pick the best words!