Word Matters Podcast

A show for readers, writers, and anyone who ever loved their English class. Hosted by Merriam-Webster editors and lexicographers.

Dipping Into the Mailbag: 'Yeet,' 'Typeface' vs. 'Font,' and 'Lo and Behold'

Word Matters, episode 75

A Brief History of the English Language

Word Matters, Episode 74

Words That Began as Metaphors

Word Matters, Episode 73

Inside Our Citation Files

Inside Our Citation Files

Getting Philosophical About the Dictionary

Word Matters, Episode 71

The Newest Words in the Dictionary

Word Matters, Episode 70

2021: The Year in Words

Word Matters, Episode 69

The 2021 Word of the Year

Word Matters, Episode 68

Researching Slang (with Ben Zimmer)

Word Matters, Episode 67

Hey, where is the 'n' in 'restaurateur'?

Word Matters, Episode 66

Decimating Restrictions on 'Decimate'

Word Matters, Episode 65

What It Means to Call an 'Audible'

Word Matters, Episode 64

'Sneaked' vs. 'Snuck' and Other Irregular Verbs

Word Matters, Episode 63

The Etymology of Insults

Word Matters, Episode 62

How Words Are Dropped from the Dictionary

Word Matters, Episode 61

Eponyms: Words Named After Real People

Word Matters, episode 60

Taking an Ax—or Axe?—to the 'Podium' vs. 'Lectern' Debate

Word Matters, Episode 59

What's folk etymology?

Word Matters, Episode 58

Possums, Opossums, and Staycations

Word Matters, Episode 57

How We Approach Compound Words

Word Matters, Episode 56

How Language Evolves (with Grammar Girl)

Word Matters, Episode 55

The Brothers Merriam: An Introduction

Word Matters, Episode 54

Who was this Webster guy, anyway?

Word Matters, Episode 53

All About Subject-Verb Agreement

Word Matters, Episode 52

The Invention of 'Introvert' (with Science Diction)

Word Matters, Episode 51

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Test Your Vocabulary

Challenging Standardized Test Words, Vol. 2

The business’s new computer system proved not to be a panacea.

Name That Thing

You know what it looks like… but what is it called?

TAKE THE QUIZ

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.

Pick the best words!

PLAY