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.
How to Memorize Pi if You’re a Word Person
12 Mind Blowing Number Systems From Other Languages
What’s the Correct Pronunciation of ‘February’?
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.
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.
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.
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.
What Is Vocal Fry?
Vocal fry describes a specific sound quality caused by the movement of the vocal folds—and it’s nothing new.
How to Write the Sound of a Kiss
In English we have a few different ways to write the sound of a kiss: muah, smack, xxx. They get the idea across, but none of them imitate the actual sound of a kiss.
Singing the ABCs in 7 Different Languages
English isn’t the only alphabet, and not every alphabet will fit into “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.” Here are some other songs from around the world to help them learn their ABCs.
7 Book Dedications that Basically Say “Screw You”
Not all authors’ dedications are nice. Some—like these—are just plain mean.