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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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play peter_talk_about_word_of_the_year_2016
2016 Word of the Year: Behind the Scenes

 

How we chose 'surreal'

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Pictures in the Dictionary

 

The story of those iconic illustrations.

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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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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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How to Use a Dictionary

 

The best way to find information in the dictionary

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Its vs. It's

 

Some practical guidance, and interesting history, about a common mistake.

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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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People of Interest Quiz Can you tell the "sommeliers" from the "spelunkers"?
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