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Word History

The History of 'Cynic'

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

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

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play video cynic
The History of 'Cynic'

 

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

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How a Word Gets into the Dictionary

 

What our editors are looking for when they enter words in Merriam-Webster.

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Alright vs. All Right

 

Is 'alright' all right?

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Is It 'Day today' or 'Day-to-day'?

 

What about Day Tomorrow?

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'Everyday' vs. 'Every Day'

 

A simple trick to keep them separate

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A Look at Uncommon Onomatopoeia

 

Some imitative words are more surprising than others

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Ending a Sentence with a Preposition

 

An old-fashioned rule we can no longer put up with.

Games & Quizzes

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Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
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Blossom Word Game You can make only 12 words. Pick the best ones!
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Missing Letter A crossword with a twist
winning words from the national spelling bee logo
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