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?
207,776 views
No one calls it the Merriam-Webster comma. Why?
454,523 views
There, there. We'll sort it out.
104,126 views
The awkward case of 'his or her'
265,845 views
No other common verb follows the pattern of _sneak_…_snuck_. And no one's quite sure why.
71,681 views
They started as the same word, but their meanings have drifted apart over time.
54,381 views
Editor Emily Brewster clarifies the difference.
363,608 views
'Poets laureate'? 'Court-martials'? The curious history of postpositive adjectives in English.
290,121 views
Why does it sound strange to say 'funner' or 'funnest?'
264,933 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.
547,609 views
Our research turned up two archaic literal meanings
156,930 views
How an ancient philosophical movement devoted to the pursuit of virtue came to describe eye-rolling criticism.
41,210 views
The story of those iconic illustrations.
24,374 views
Soop, wimmen, and headake did not make the cut
162,412 views
We'll help you figure it out at once
886,669 views
795,447 views
How to use a word that (literally) drives some people nuts
453,046 views
Some imitative words are more surprising than others
324,743 views
And who put it there, anyway?
323,233 views
We're intent on clearing it up
315,220 views
Commonly Misspelled Words Vol. 2 Quiz
Test your vocabulary with our 10-question quiz!
Pick the best words!