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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.

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Why did Yankee Doodle call a feather 'macaroni'?

 

What's with his feathered cap?

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Old-School Grammar

 

Many of today's grammar rules can be traced to the opinions of one 18th century writer.

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The Schwa

 

The most common vowel sound in English causes many spelling problems.

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Is 'none' singular or plural?

 

Or both? Or neither?

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'Mispronunciations' That May Be Fine

 

'Mischievous,' 'nuclear,' and other words to pronounce with caution.

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Words of the Year: 1066

 

English was never the same after the Norman Conquest

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?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
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People of Interest Quiz Can you tell the "sommeliers" from the "spelunkers"?
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