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'All Intensive Purposes' or 'All Intents and Purposes'?

We're intent on clearing it up

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'Nip it in the butt' or 'Nip it in the bud'?

We're gonna stop you right there

emily brewster and one and the same text graphic
'One in the same' or 'One and the same'?

Is it all the same anyway?

illustration of a man watching a washing machine overflow
'All over sudden' vs. 'All of a sudden'

We'll help you figure it out at once

calendar that says day today
Is It 'Day today' or 'Day-to-day'?

What about Day Tomorrow?

merriam-webster eggcorns title page
What Is an Eggcorn?

And how did it get that name?

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How to Remember the Spelling of 'Definitely'

A definitive answer.

peter-sokolowski-indict-graphic
Video: Why Is There a 'C' in 'Indict'?

And who put it there, anyway?

cartoon-of-british-nobility
Why Did Yankee Doodle Call a Feather 'Macaroni'?

What's with his feathered cap?

emily-brewster-with-the-words-effect-affect-on-screen
How to Remember 'Affect' and 'Effect'

A simple way to keep them apart. (Most of the time.)

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How Do You Pronounce 'Groceries'?

Is there one standard way?

hanger-hangar-illustrations
Is It 'Hanger' or 'Hangar'?

How to remember which is which

contractions
On Contractions of Multiple Words

You all would not have guessed some of these

onomatopoeia video
A Look at Uncommon Onomatopoeia

Some imitative words are more surprising than others

body parts video
When Body Parts Are Also Verbs

Head, shoulders, metaphors, and toes

ismo merriam webster trunk boot
Some Odd Words with ISMO: "Junk in the Trunk"

Comedian ISMO on what separates a boot from a trunk

ismo merriam webster tip
Some Odd Words with ISMO: "People Tipping"

Comedian ISMO on the complexities of the word 'tip'

ismo merriam webster one
Some Odd Words with ISMO: "The One-derful Won"

Comedian ISMO tries to figure out the numbers 'one' and 'two'

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How Do You Pronounce 'Vase'?

And is one more correct than the others?

video ghost words
How a Ghost Word Appeared in the Dictionary

The story of an imaginary word that managed to sneak past our editors

video title words of the year 1066
Words of the Year: 1066

Why is pig meat called 'pork' and cow meat called 'beef?' Because English took on a big serving of French words following the Norman Conquest.

serial comma
The Serial Comma Explained

No one calls it the Merriam-Webster comma. Why?

hot mess
Hot Mess

Our research turned up two archaic literal meanings

mrs malaprop
What is a Malaprop?

Editor Peter Sokolowski will tell you all the perpendiculars

alright allright video
Alright vs. All Right

Is it all right to use both? Do they mean different things? Which one will make your English teacher smile?

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Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of ostensible

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