Language Usage and Word History Videos

Latest Videos

'All Intensive Purposes' or 'All Intents and Purposes'?

We're intent on clearing it up

150,542 views

'Nip it in the butt' or 'Nip it in the bud'?

We're gonna stop you right there

42,998 views

emily brewster and one and the same text graphic

'One in the same' or 'One and the same'?

Is it all the same anyway?

28,616 views

illustration of a man watching a washing machine overflow

'All over sudden' vs. "All of a sudden"

Figuring it out at once

125,315 views

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

What about Day Tomorrow?

10,277 views

What Is an Eggcorn?

And how did it get that name?

12,863 views

Grammar and Usage

How Do You Pronounce 'Vase'?

And is one more correct than the others?

163,668 views

There, They're, Their

There, there. We'll sort it out.

97,515 views

Is Singular 'They' a Better Choice?

The awkward case of 'his or her'

247,584 views

Sneaked vs. Snuck

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

52,077 views

Further vs. Farther

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

41,713 views

Lay vs. Lie

Tripping up English Speakers for 700 years

309,820 views

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

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

280,289 views

Fun, Funner, Funnest

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

251,313 views

Its vs. It's

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

72,546 views

Word History

Words of the Year: 1066

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.

537,048 views

Hot Mess

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

146,882 views

Cynic

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

34,610 views

Pictures in the Dictionary

The story of those iconic illustrations.

20,663 views

Soop vs. Soup

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

67,485 views

Most Viewed

Words of the Year: 1066

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.

537,048 views

The Serial Comma

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

431,745 views

Literally

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

409,762 views

Lay vs. Lie

Tripping up English Speakers for 700 years

309,820 views

Ghost Word

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

288,452 views

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

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

280,289 views

Fun, Funner, Funnest

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

251,313 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

251,195 views

Is Singular 'They' a Better Choice?

The awkward case of 'his or her'

247,584 views

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Videos

How to Remember 'Affect' and 'Effect'

A Look at Uncommon Onomatopoeia

How Do You Pronounce 'Vase'?

Ghost Word

The Serial Comma

Latest Videos

'All Intensive Purposes' or 'All Intents and Purposes'?

'Nip it in the butt' or 'Nip it in the bud'?

'One in the same' or 'One and the same'?

'All over sudden' vs. "All of a sudden"

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

What Is an Eggcorn?

Grammar and Usage

How Do You Pronounce 'Vase'?

There, They're, Their

Is Singular 'They' a Better Choice?

Sneaked vs. Snuck

Further vs. Farther

Lay vs. Lie

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

Fun, Funner, Funnest

Its vs. It's

Word History

Words of the Year: 1066

Hot Mess

Cynic

Pictures in the Dictionary

Soop vs. Soup

Most Viewed

Words of the Year: 1066

The Serial Comma

Literally

Lay vs. Lie

Ghost Word

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

Fun, Funner, Funnest

2017 Word of the Year: Behind the Scenes

Is Singular 'They' a Better Choice?

Test Your Vocabulary