WORDS

A Reviled Native American Slur Has Been Removed From More Than 600 Federal Sites

The casual use of “squaw“ has long concerned Native Americans, who have often fought to have it recognized as a slur.

40 Zesty Z-Words To Add To Your Vocabulary

Don't be a zob—try using one of the 40 zazzy Z-words listed here.

40 Useful Y-Words To Add To Your Vocabulary

Become a yarn-chopper, even if people accuse you of being prone to yaw-yaw.

10 Old-Timey Terms for ‘Treat’ to Try Out This Halloween

Why say “Trick or treat!” this Halloween when you could shout “Trick or junkery!” instead?

40 Words That Start With X

Only about 0.02 percent of the words in a dictionary start with the letter 'X.' Here are 40 of those rarities.

13 Words Coined by James Joyce

Making up words is a common internet pastime, but James Joyce was way ahead of the curve in this area. Discover 13 of the most fascinating words coined by the famed Irish author.

"Magnifying glass" is actually two words.

50 Strange Words You’ll Want to Start Using

In this episode ofThe List Show, Mental Floss editor-in-chief Erin McCarthy shares the meaning of 50 words you’ll be happy to know.

40 Wonderful W-Words To Widen Your Vocabulary

Whether you're writative or just trying to be a linguistic wheel-horse, these words are for you.

You might know someone who qualifies as a bananenbieger.

30 Hilarious German Insults You Should Start Using Immediately

One translates to "asparagus Tarzan." Another means "bag of whale blubber." In fact, some of these are so amusing you might not even mind being insulted.

These little witches look like they might be running a gum-game.

11 Delightful Old-Timey Words for Tricks

Tricks aren’t just for kids anymore—nor are trick words! Here are 11 old-timey words for pranks and capers, perfect for when you’re feeling curmudgeonly about Halloween revelers knocking on your door for treats.

You just know which one Goldilocks is going for.

Em Dash vs. En Dash vs. Hyphen: What’s the Difference?

Deciding when to use an em dash instead of some other punctuation mark is largely up to you—except in situations that call for an en dash or hyphen.

40 Vibrant V-Words To Revamp Your Vocabulary

A list to please even the most vinerous among us.

Try to fit all six of these terms in a single sentence.

From ‘Adorkable’ to ‘Yeet’: 30 Words Merriam-Webster Just Added to the Dictionary

What does ‘yeet’ mean, anyway? Merriam-Webster now has a formal answer.

These words will make you jump for joy, no matter what happy situation you're in.

32 Words for Positive Phenomena That Don’t Have an English Equivalent

Why doesn’t English have a word for when you sneak a taste of food when you think no one’s watching?

You say you have better ways to call B.S.? Bottlewash!

19 Old-Timey Ways to Call B.S.

Chances are you’ve been using the B.S. word a lot lately, and might be looking to change things up. Look no further than this list of 19 delightful old-timey terms.