Trump compares scrutiny to lynching

alt-5d5d86152d00c

Help your kids build their vocabulary!

Words from the week of 10/25/2019

steps-from-exorcist-film

Say "Howdy" to these Latin phrases

alt-5da761a78c031

A linguistic analysis of a notorious pronunciation

Videos

onomatopoeia video

A Look at Uncommon Onomatopoeia

Some imitative words are more surprising than others

How Do You Pronounce 'Vase'?

And is one way more correct than the others?

video ghost words

Ghost Word

The story of an imaginary word that managed to sneak past our editors and enter the dictionary.

The Serial Comma

Why don't they call it the Merriam-Webster comma?

alright allright video

Alright vs. All Right

Is 'alright' all right?

Latest Videos

alt-5da761a78c031

Why Do People Pronounce It "Nucular"?

A linguistic analysis of a notorious pronunciation

6,583 views

alt-5db2e0bd4fc20

'Coruscate' — Video Word of the Day 10/25/2019

verb - to give off bright flashes of light

New!

On Contractions of Multiple Words

You all would not have guessed some of these

74,193 views

alt-5db11da40596c

'Noachian' — Video Word of the Day 10/24/2019

adj. - ancient or antiquated

New!

onomatopoeia video

A Look at Uncommon Onomatopoeia

Some imitative words are more surprising than others

49,078 views

alt-5db0374f6aba4

'Spoonerism' — Video Word of the Day 10/23/2019

noun - transposition of initial sounds of words

New!

Grammar and Usage

How Do You Pronounce 'Vase'?

And is one more correct than the others?

142,725 views

there theyre their video

There, They're, Their

There, there. We'll sort it out.

95,697 views

video his or her

Is Singular 'They' a Better Choice?

The awkward case of 'his or her'

228,146 views

sneaked vs snuck video

Sneaked vs. Snuck

No other common verb follows the pattern of _sneak_…_snuck_. And no one's quite sure why.

49,956 views

further vs farther video

Further vs. Farther

They started as the same word, but their meanings have drifted apart over time.

39,713 views

video lay vs lie

Lay vs. Lie

Tripping up English Speakers for 700 years

307,877 views

video title attorney generals

Is It 'Attorney Generals' Or 'Attorneys General'?

'Poets laureate'? 'Court-martials'? The curious history of postpositive adjectives in English.

274,991 views

fun funner funnest

Fun, Funner, Funnest

Why does it sound strange to say 'funner' or 'funnest?'

246,608 views

video its vs its

Its vs. It's

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

70,746 views

Word History

video title words of the year 1066

Words of the Year: 1066

Why is pig meat is called 'pork' and cow meat is called 'beef?' Because English took on a big serving of French words following the Norman Conquest.

532,142 views

Hot Mess

"Verily, I say unto you, the public is a hot mess"

143,836 views

Cynic

How an ancient philosophical movement devoted to the pursuit of virtue came to describe eye-rolling criticism.

32,260 views

videos pictures in the dictionary

Pictures in the Dictionary

The story of those iconic illustrations.

20,252 views

video soup vs soop

Soop vs. Soup

Noah Webster: the man who changed the way we spell... up to a point.

64,152 views

Most Viewed

video title words of the year 1066

Words of the Year: 1066

Why is pig meat is called 'pork' and cow meat is called 'beef?' Because English took on a big serving of French words following the Norman Conquest.

532,142 views

The Serial Comma

No one calls it the Merriam-Webster comma. Why?

427,348 views

video literally

Literally

How to use a word that (literally) drives some people nuts.

369,564 views

video lay vs lie

Lay vs. Lie

Tripping up English Speakers for 700 years

307,877 views

video ghost words

Ghost Word

The story of an imaginary word that managed to sneak past our editors and enter the dictionary.

284,443 views

video title attorney generals

Is It 'Attorney Generals' Or 'Attorneys General'?

'Poets laureate'? 'Court-martials'? The curious history of postpositive adjectives in English.

274,991 views

2017 Word of the Year: Behind the Scenes

Editor Peter Sokolowski talks about 'feminism' and the rest of our Word of the Year 2017 selections

248,415 views

fun funner funnest

Fun, Funner, Funnest

Why does it sound strange to say 'funner' or 'funnest?'

246,608 views

video old school grammar humorsome

Old-School Grammar

Many of today's grammar rules can be traced to the opinions of one 18th century writer.

234,299 views

Word of the Day

alt-5db2e0bd4fc20

'Coruscate' — Video Word of the Day 10/25/2019

Learn the meaning and history of 'coruscate' in our video series with TIME

New!

alt-5db11da40596c

'Noachian' — Video Word of the Day 10/24/2019

Learn the meaning and history of 'Noachian' in our video series with TIME

New!

alt-5db0374f6aba4

'Spoonerism' — Video Word of the Day 10/23/2019

Learn the meaning and history of 'spoonerism' in our video series with TIME

New!

alt-5dae860a50379

'Fiduciary' — Video Word of the Day 10/22/2019

Learn the meaning and history of 'fiduciary' in our video series with TIME

New!

alt-5dad97b551f1f

'Comprise' — Video Word of the Day 10/21/2019

Learn the meaning and history of 'comprise' in our video series with TIME

New!

alt-5da8cbbce389b

'Hobbyhorse' — Video Word of the Day 10/18/2019

Learn the meaning and history of 'hobbyhorse' in our video series with TIME

New!

See all Videos

Test Your Vocabulary

Word Puzzles

Which answer pairs best with each of the following words? living, estate, club, music, road, mile

Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?

TAKE THE QUIZ

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ