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Word History

The History of 'Cynic'

How an ancient philosophical movement devoted to the pursuit of virtue came to describe eye-rolling criticism.

How an ancient philosophical movement devoted to the pursuit of virtue came to describe eye-rolling criticism.

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play video cynic
The History of 'Cynic'

 

How an ancient philosophical movement devoted to the pursuit of virtue came to describe eye-rolling criticism.

play video title words of the year 1066
Words of the Year: 1066

 

English was never the same after the Norman Conquest

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There, They're, Their

 

There, there. We'll sort it out.

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I vs. Me

 

'Between you and __'? Simple guidance for a tricky pronoun.

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An Abbreviated History of American English Spelling

 

Soop, wimmen, and headake did not make the cut

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How a Word Gets into the Dictionary

 

What our editors are looking for when they enter words in Merriam-Webster.

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How to Remember 'Affect' and 'Effect'

 

A simple way to keep them apart. (Most of the time.)

Games & Quizzes

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Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
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Blossom Pick the best words!
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The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
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