Arika Okrent

Joined: Nov 21, 2012

Linguist, author of In the Land of Invented Languages, living in Chicago, doing her part to fight off the cot-caught merger and keep "gym shoes" alive.

A stack of gifts ... or are they presents?

What’s the Difference Between a Gift and a Present?

Thanksgiving is a day filled with small rituals.

7 Overlooked Thanksgiving Rituals, According to Sociologists

It’s kind of weird that ‘ghost’ is spelled with a ‘gh.’

Why are ‘Ghost,’ ‘Ghastly,’ and ‘Ghoul’ Spelled with ‘gh’?

Identify whether you're feeling angst, ennui, or weltschmerz with this handy guide.

How to Tell Whether You've Got Angst, Ennui, or Weltschmerz

A sign in Irish on Achill Island in Ireland.

8 Fun Facts About the Irish Language

You may hear an "Erin go bragh" or two, but even on the most Irish of holidays, we don't hear much of the Irish language—which is a shame.

There are way more digits in pi than you probably realize.

How to Memorize Pi if You’re a Word Person

Pi Day offers something for the math-lover and baked-goods lover. What about the word lover? Here are some tips and tricks for memorizing the digits of pi with words.

12 Mind Blowing Number Systems From Other Languages

Today is a big day for lovers of the number 12, and no one loves 12s more than the members of the Dozenal Society. The Dozenal Society advocates for ditching the base-10 system we use for counting in favor of a base-12 system. Because 12 is cleanly divisi

What’s the Correct Pronunciation of ‘February’?

In the United States, the most common pronunciation is “FEB-yoo-air-ee.” Both Merriam-Webster and American Heritage dictionaries consider the common pronunciation correct, along with the less common, more traditional standard “FEB-roo-air-ee.”

Confused as to why ‘will not’ gets shortened to ‘won’t’? Blame Old English.

Why Does ‘Will Not’ Become ‘Won’t’?

Most contractions in English are pretty straightforward. Put it together, and shorten it up. But that isn't the case for ‘will not.’

How Do You Stress the Word: THANKSgiving or ThanksGIVing?

Here’s something else to stress about for Thanksgiving.

Here’s How Super-Long German Words Are Made

German is known for its extremely long compound words—Mark Twain once complained that some were “so long they have a perspective.” This quick video demonstrates how those words are constructed.

There’s no doubt about it—rotting food is gross.

How Did ‘Gross’ Become a Term of Disgust?

The word ‘gross,’ which came to English from French, took on a variety of senses in English related to size. But the ‘gross of today is different from the ‘gross’ of the past thanks to teens.

Windsocks can tell you which way the bise blows.

21 Wonderful Words for Wind

Geographers and climatologists have a goody bag full of wonderful words that get super specific about wind.

11 Nouns That Only Have a Plural Form

Some nouns only have a plural form, regardless of how we think of them. They are known as ‘pluralia tantum,’ Latin for “plural only.”

7 Sentences That Sound Bizarre But Are Still Grammatical

These sentences are sure to make you scratch your head.

The way some words are spelled is downright bizarre.

11 Weirdly Spelled Words—And How They Got That Way

Ever wonder why there’s a ‘k’ in ‘knead,’ or a ‘d’ in ‘Wednesday’? While there isn’t always a good reason for why some English words are spelled the way they are, there are reasons.