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
New!
37,267 views
5,435 views
And is one more correct than the others?
202,160 views
No one calls it the Merriam-Webster comma. Why?
453,389 views
There, there. We'll sort it out.
103,461 views
The awkward case of 'his or her'
264,077 views
No other common verb follows the pattern of _sneak_…_snuck_. And no one's quite sure why.
71,044 views
They started as the same word, but their meanings have drifted apart over time.
53,321 views
Editor Emily Brewster clarifies the difference.
360,999 views
'Poets laureate'? 'Court-martials'? The curious history of postpositive adjectives in English.
289,306 views
Why does it sound strange to say 'funner' or 'funnest?'
263,647 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.
546,923 views
Our research turned up two archaic literal meanings
156,549 views
How an ancient philosophical movement devoted to the pursuit of virtue came to describe eye-rolling criticism.
40,794 views
The story of those iconic illustrations.
24,198 views
Soop, wimmen, and headake did not make the cut
161,942 views
We'll help you figure it out at once
886,193 views
790,789 views
How to use a word that (literally) drives some people nuts
451,438 views
Some imitative words are more surprising than others
324,031 views
And who put it there, anyway?
319,585 views
We're intent on clearing it up
314,408 views
Challenging Standardized Test Words
You know what it looks like… but what is it called?
You can make only 12 words. Pick the best ones!