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Est. 1828
Wordplay
For the love of language
The Longest Long Words List
21 words with 21 letters or more
Pilfer: How to Play and Win
Welcome to our newest word game
15 Bird Sounds and the Birds Who Make Them
15 bird sounds, and the birds who make them
Arts & Culture
Obscure & Fun
Foreign
Games & Hobbies
Insults
Science & Nature
Word History
Popular
8 Words with Fascinating Histories
Heads up: one is 'vulgar'
8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments
Our maraca shake brings all the hautbois to the yard
Birds Say the Darndest Things
10 Words (or Phrases) Birds Seem to Be Saying
10 Words from Taylor Swift Songs (Merriam's Version)
Look what you made us do
10 Scrabble Words Without Any Vowels
We'd like to not buy a vowel
12 More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
Words beloved even by cranky fans and pettichaps
8 Uncommon Words Related to Love
You won't find these on candy conversation hearts, but maybe you should
9 Superb Owl Words
Who cooks for you? Who cooks for you all? We do!
Word Choices
Gabrielle Zevin
Novelist
Emily Flake
New Yorker Cartoonist
Celeste Ng
Novelist
Eli Cymet
Video Game Writer/Producer, Cuphead
Emma Straub
Novelist and Children’s Book Author
Arts & Culture
See All
The Words of the Week - Nov. 22
Lookups from politics, weather, and the dairy aisle
A Great Big List of Bread Words
Quit loafing around and get that bread (word)
A List of The U.S. Military Ranks in Order
From Private to General of the Army
9 Other Words for Beautiful
Here are some additional words for calling something lovely
What Does 'Eighty-Six' Mean?
We won't refuse you service
See All
Obscure & Fun
Obscure & Fun
Words For Things You Didn't Know Have Names, Vol. 4
Sitzmarks! Jarkmen!! Pronking!!!
Read
Nine Obscure Beer-Related Words
Crack open a cold (or warm and eggy) one and enjoy
Read
Ahoy! Ten Words for Talking Like a Pirate
Whether on International Talk Like a Pirate Day or any day!
Read
Words That are Their Own Opposites
Do I contradict myself?
Read
See All
12 Words from the Wrong Side of the Law
Crime doesn't pay, but vocabulary might
Foreign
See All
17 English Words That Come From Japanese
Some borrowed words don't get returned
All About Latin Plurals
Check your dictionary
8 Words We Stole from French
Spoiler: We stole way more than 8
Digging Up the Latin Roots of 14 Abbreviations
Beyond 'i.e.' and 'e.g.'
Skunk, Bayou, and Other Words with Native American Origins
You've used more than you might think
See All
Games & Hobbies
See All
10 Words for Lesser-Known Games and Sports
Are you ready for some stoolball?
A Player's Guide to 'Q' without 'U' Words
Remember this and win.
Know Your Baseball Idioms
Our national pastime. No, the other one.
Why 'Love' Means "Nothing"
In tennis. This is about tennis.
The Scoop on 'The Proof Is in the Pudding'
A delicious question
See All
Insults
Insults
Rare and Amusing Insults, Volume 3
Useful words for everyday interactions
Read
You Talk Too Much: 8 Words for the Wordy
You can't shut them up, but you can label them
Read
7 Shakespearean Insults to Make Life More Interesting
One for each day of the week
Read
The Origin of 'Hypocrite'
This one's surprisingly dramatic
Read
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8 Significant Words for 'Insignificant'
A list that is anything but trivial
Science & Nature
See All
Fruit vs. Vegetable
Are you sure you know which is what?
7 Especially Fitting Common Names for Plants
So you don't mix up your Swiss Cheese plants with your Dutchman's Breeches
12 Words for Signs of Spring
Spring is springing
Flower Etymologies For Your Spring Garden
A bouquet of floral origin stories
What is a 'coulrophobe' so afraid of?
Unusual Phobias, Vol. 2
See All
Word History
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Quick: Read This!
'Quick' once had a very different meaning
'Handsome,' 'Geek,' and 8 More Words That Changed Their Meanings
Language evolves
13 New Words for Old Things
When did 'mail' become 'snail mail'?
7 Run-Down Words That Have Seen Better Days
They've taken a hit but are still standing.
Compound Words That Used to Make a Lot More Sense
How 'jack' met 'pot.' How 'wed' met 'lock.'
See All