Picture of Arika Okrent

Arika Okrent

Editor-at-large

Arika Okrent is editor-at-large at TheWeek.com and a frequent contributor to Mental Floss. She is the author of In the Land of Invented Languages, a history of the attempt to build a better language. She holds a doctorate in linguistics and a first-level certification in Klingon. Follow her on Twitter.

Was the sign-language interpreter at the Mandela memorial faking it?
Sign language gaffe
Feature

Was the sign-language interpreter at the Mandela memorial faking it?

What's the difference between in- and un-?
Feature

What's the difference between in- and un-?

How an awesomesauce new suffix came to be
Awesomesauce
Feature

How an awesomesauce new suffix came to be

The right way to quit your job in Klingon
Star Trek
Feature

The right way to quit your job in Klingon

Where do U.S. coin names come from?
Penny
Feature

Where do U.S. coin names come from?

8 symbols that we turned into words
The "I Love New York" tourism merch
Feature

8 symbols that we turned into words

Why English spelling is so messed up
Before the printing press, seen here circa 1500, English words were spelled rather flexibly.
Feature

Why English spelling is so messed up

How a deaf couple had their baby officially registered with a sign name
Birth Certificate
Feature

How a deaf couple had their baby officially registered with a sign name

The evolution of Facebook's pronoun problem
Facebook
Feature

The evolution of Facebook's pronoun problem

12 old words that survived by getting fossilized in idioms
"Sleight of hand"
Feature

12 old words that survived by getting fossilized in idioms

15 words you didn't realize were named after people
Saxophone
Feature

15 words you didn't realize were named after people

The letter O: Made complex by 17th century calligraphy
Calligraphy page
Feature

The letter O: Made complex by 17th century calligraphy

What makes a word the word of the year?
Dictionary
Feature

What makes a word the word of the year?

How well does Mark Zuckerberg speak Chinese?
Mark Zuckerberg
Feature

How well does Mark Zuckerberg speak Chinese?

The 11 best new words added to Oxford dictionaries
Al Desko
Feature

The 11 best new words added to Oxford dictionaries

Pop song titles are losing the love
Where's the love?
Feature

Pop song titles are losing the love

Can y'all be used to refer to a single person?
Dolly
Feature

Can y'all be used to refer to a single person?

Listen to Frozen's 'Let It Go' in 25 languages
Frozen
Best Video

Listen to Frozen's 'Let It Go' in 25 languages

11 nouns that only have a plural form
Dog getting a bath
Feature

11 nouns that only have a plural form

11 tragic emotions and how to properly act them out on stage (according to an 1889 guide)
Theatre
Feature

11 tragic emotions and how to properly act them out on stage (according to an 1889 guide)

6 dictionary mysteries you can help solve
The business-in-front/party-in-back hairstyle must pre-date 1994… right?
Feature

6 dictionary mysteries you can help solve

Fascinating facts about 10 national anthems
Mexico
Feature

Fascinating facts about 10 national anthems

How ABC gave viewers a taste of what it's like to be deaf
The all ASL episode of Switched at Birth was a risky move for ABC.
Feature

How ABC gave viewers a taste of what it's like to be deaf

Why the government should never, ever meddle with language
Outside view of the Institute de France building in Paris.
Feature

Why the government should never, ever meddle with language

17 words that describe themselves
Hellenic sculpture
Feature

17 words that describe themselves

'Tis and 10 other fun proclitic words
Twas
Feature

'Tis and 10 other fun proclitic words

The many failures of the 'I before E except after C' rule
Science
Feature

The many failures of the 'I before E except after C' rule

The 5 linguistic styles of exciting goal calls
Germany, World Cup
Feature

The 5 linguistic styles of exciting goal calls

The grammar rules behind 3 commonly disparaged dialects
Grammar Rules
Feature

The grammar rules behind 3 commonly disparaged dialects

How to write the sound of a kiss
Couple
Feature

How to write the sound of a kiss

Don't Ask, Don't Tell: The end of a policy, the beginning of an idiom
Don't ask, don't tell sign
Feature

Don't Ask, Don't Tell: The end of a policy, the beginning of an idiom

How eavesdropping was punished in medieval times
Eavesdropping
Feature

How eavesdropping was punished in medieval times

21 fancy medical terms for mundane problems
Fainting
Feature

21 fancy medical terms for mundane problems

11 common words that will boost your Scrabble score
Scrabble
Feature

11 common words that will boost your Scrabble score

9 fascinating facts about the schwa
Happy Endings
Feature

9 fascinating facts about the schwa

9 little translation mistakes that caused big problems
Lost in translation.
From our friends at Mental Floss

9 little translation mistakes that caused big problems