Legendary figures and the words that define them
Celebrated writers share their quest to find the right words
We're gonna stop you right there
What about Day Tomorrow?
And how did it get that name?
Word Icons
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And is one more correct than the others?
209,997 views
No one calls it the Merriam-Webster comma. Why?
454,653 views
There, there. We'll sort it out.
104,212 views
The awkward case of 'his or her'
265,963 views
No other common verb follows the pattern of _sneak_…_snuck_. And no one's quite sure why.
71,866 views
They started as the same word, but their meanings have drifted apart over time.
54,619 views
Editor Emily Brewster clarifies the difference.
363,943 views
'Poets laureate'? 'Court-martials'? The curious history of postpositive adjectives in English.
290,243 views
Why does it sound strange to say 'funner' or 'funnest?'
265,134 views
Why is pig meat called 'pork' and cow meat called 'beef?' Because English took on a big serving of French words following the Norman Conquest.
547,759 views
Our research turned up two archaic literal meanings
157,034 views
How an ancient philosophical movement devoted to the pursuit of virtue came to describe eye-rolling criticism.
41,281 views
The story of those iconic illustrations.
24,472 views
Soop, wimmen, and headake did not make the cut
162,467 views
We'll help you figure it out at once
886,729 views
796,487 views
How to use a word that (literally) drives some people nuts
453,180 views
Some imitative words are more surprising than others
324,863 views
And who put it there, anyway?
324,221 views
We're intent on clearing it up
315,341 views
What did you just call me?
You know what it looks like… but what is it called?
Pick the best words!