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.

This stickler doesn’t like how people are using the word ‘phenomenal.’

9 Linguistic ‘Ignorantisms’ Even Sticklers Got Used To

A wooden tablet covered in still-undeciphered Rongorongo script.

8 Ancient Writing Systems That Haven't Been Deciphered Yet

10 Language Mistakes Kids Make That Are Actually Pretty Smart

These words are the language of love (literally).

11 Words You Might Not Realize Come From ‘Love’

11 Common Words With Very Specific Meanings on Food Labels in the U.S.

Sometimes regular English words—words that have commonsense but slightly fuzzy meanings—must be defined more precisely for food labeling.

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

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

Those brightly wrapped packages we exchange around the holidays and other special occasions: Sometimes we call them “gifts,” sometimes “presents.” Is there a difference?

Thanksgiving is a day filled with small rituals.

7 Overlooked Thanksgiving Rituals, According to Sociologists

The first major sociological study of Thanksgiving appeared in the Journal of Consumer Research in 1991. Here’s what the authors learned.

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

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

Only a handful of English words start with ‘gh’—what gives?

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

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

English never hesitates to borrow words that would lose certain subtleties in translation, and angst, ennui, and weltschmerz have made their way into English by offering a little something extra.

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.