Words

The first African American dictionary of its kind is due in 2025.

The years-in-the-making Oxford Dictionary of African American English will offer proper attribution to words and phrases that originated in Black culture.

Where does this literary device come from, and why is it named after a fish?

The figurative phrase is more than 200 years old, but the obscure etymology of a 'red herring' is a fishy story that is itself a red herring.

Learning how to pronounce ‘biopic’ is one thing. Understanding why it’s such a commonly mispronounced word is another.

And how does a range fit into all this?

The baton has been a law enforcement tool for close to two centuries. But did anyone named Billy actually have anything to do with it?

Know what to say when you visit Little Rhody.

Familiarize yourself with these 13 expressions and your Ocean State stay will be that much smoother and more satisfying.

'Lady with a Parasol' by Impressionist Hamilton Hamilton.

Why be sweltering and sunburnt when you can be swoly and birsled instead?

This dachshund wants you to know you're probably mispronouncing the name of his breed.

Dachshund is actually made up of two smaller German words (dachs, which means “badger,” and hund, which means “dog”) and it's not pronounced “dash-hound.”

Scuba is just one of the words that's actually an acronym.

Here are the stories and meanings behind 25 words, names, and titles that you might not have realized actually stand for something.

Ever wonder what you're supposed to be minding when your mind your p's and q's?

Does it have to do with pea coats? Or maybe Latin scribes?

Here’s (at least) one interesting way station each of these common words made on its journey to the present day, whether it’s an analysis of the Latin roots, a hypothesis about a proto-Indo-European origin, or a pivotal change in meaning.

Tomato, tomahto.

You just went to an art exhibit. Or was it an exhibition?

DJ Khaled, Amal Clooney, and Rami Malek.

Loosen up your jaws, lift up those eyebrows, and throw a little phlegm behind it: These 25 common Arabic names are constantly mispronounced.

This list is your Annie Oakley to fitting in at the carnival.

Start slipping these terms into conversation and watch as your friends bally about how great talking to you is.

The origins of the 1940s phrase 'cooking with gas' aren't clear-cut.

If you want to know what it was like to strike up a casual conversation in this mid-20th-century decade, we’re going to tell it like it is—with a list of the words and phrases any eager beaver would know well. Ready to find out what’s buzzin’, cousin?

Try out some of these words in your next Scrabble game.

Mind your Zs and Qs on National Scrabble Day. And it wouldn't hurt to know your anti-inflammatories.

How did ‘Scrabble’'s makers decide how many points each letter was worth? It started with an unemployed architect during the Great Depression, and it has stayed the same ever since.

The inventor of Scrabble was inspired by 'The Raven' author.

The game wouldn't exist if not for a minor plot point in a nearly two-century-old story.

Add these double-letter words to your player vocabulary to take advantage of the multiples on your tile rack.

You can flout these rules, but you can't flaunt them.

Roughly 288 populated places in the U.S. bear this name. Good thing we have zip codes.

Flip through the dictionary and you'll find all sorts of words hiding their bodily origins.

Some of our favorite words come from body parts. Scratch your 'caput' over the origins of these anatomically derived terms.

Behold: Denver Airport's 'Mustang' statue—or as Denverites call it, 'Blucifer.'

There are some very specific terms surrounding cow smells, elevation, and a sculpture that killed its own artist.

Scholars Have Released the First Words Chosen for The Oxford Dictionary of African American English

Where Did the Phrase 'Red Herring' Come From?

Have You Been Misled by ‘Misles’? The Linguistics Behind These Commonly Mispronounced Words

Oven vs. Stove: What's the Difference?

Why Is A Police Officer’s Baton Called a Billy Club?

13 Rhode Island Slang Terms You Should Know

13 Old-Timey Synonyms for ‘Hot’ to Bring Back This Summer

The Right Way to Pronounce 'Dachshund'

25 Words That Are Actually Acronyms

What Exactly Are Your P’s and Q’s?

The Interesting Etymologies of 71 Everyday Words

What's the Difference Between Ketchup and Catsup?

Exhibit vs. Exhibition: What’s the Difference?

25 Arabic Names You’re Probably Mispronouncing

16 Excellent Bits of Carnival Slang to Add to Your Vocabulary

18 Gobbledygook-Free 1940s Slang Terms

11 Words That Will Win You Any Game of Scrabble

How Are ‘Scrabble’ Letter Points Decided?

How Edgar Allan Poe Inspired ‘Scrabble’

25 Double-Letter Scrabble Words to Have in Your Back Pocket

25 Words That Don’t Mean What You Think They Do

The Most Common Place Name in America—and No, It’s Not Springfield

10 Body Parts Hiding in the Dictionary

14 Denver Slang Terms You Should Know