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Words of the Year

2016 Word of the Year: Behind the Scenes

Editor Peter Sokolowski talks about 'surreal' and the rest of our Word of the Year 2016 selections


How did we choose surreal as our Word of the Year for 2016? Peter Sokolowski explains the data behind our decisions, and what that tells us about what people were thinking this year.

Don't miss our in-depth look at surreal and our gallery of top trending words from 2016.

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2016 Word of the Year: Behind the Scenes

 

How we chose 'surreal'

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What Is 'Semantic Bleaching'?

 

How 'literally' can mean "figuratively"

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i.e. vs. e.g.

 

Often used, often confused. Here's some guidance and insight.

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The Schwa

 

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

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Affect vs. Effect

 

Here's the lowdown on what may be the most confusing pair of words in the English language.

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Some Odd Words with ISMO: "People Tipping"

 

Comedian ISMO on the complexities of the word 'tip'

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Words of the Year: 1066

 

English was never the same after the Norman Conquest

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The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
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Dutch, Yiddish, Japanese, or Hindi? Quiz Guess the language these English words come from.
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