Latest articles by Arika Okrent
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How an awesomesauce new suffix came to be
feature This etymology is seriously nerdsauce
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The many failures of the 'I before E except after C' rule
feature The one general language rule that most people remember from school is not a very good rule at all
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29 adorable slang terms for sex (from the last 600 years)
feature When it comes to the ol' houghmagandy, a little mystery goes a long way
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18 complicated scientific ideas explained simply
feature Using a custom-made text editor, scientists describe complicated ideas using only the 1,000 most frequently used words in English
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Listen and compare: 15 different Irish accents
feature Not all accents on the Emerald Isle are the same
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The true origin story of the football huddle
feature It was first invented by deaf players
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Where did the expression 'OK' come from?
feature It's amazing that we ever got along without it at all. But we did until 1839
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26 of Noah Webster's spelling changes that didn't catch on
feature Really, shouldn't machine be spelled "masheen"?
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11 nouns that only have a plural form
feature We never talk about a singular scissor...
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10 old-fashioned swears to spice up your cussin'
feature People just don't swear like they used to
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50 actual shades of gray
feature A 1912 book by Robert Ridgway named 1,115 colors, including dozens of shades of gray
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Why are pound and ounce abbreviated as 'lb' and 'oz'?
feature Abbreviations are usually self-explanatory. How come these two aren't?
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9 words created by spelling other words backwards
feature Fancy some "semordnilaps"?
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What's the correct pronunciation of February?
feature Hint: There's more than one answer
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8 fun facts about the Irish language
feature Happy St. Patrick's Day!
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20 towns named for other towns but pronounced differently
feature In Illinois and Kentucky, don't call the cities of Athens, ATH-ens. They're pronounced EIGHTH-ens, apparently.
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26 fancy, unusual plurals that work like 'attorneys general'
feature Be careful or the grammar police might slap you with multiple courts-martial
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The right way to quit your job in Klingon
feature You're probably doing it wrong
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How many spaces should there be at the end of a sentence?
feature Grammar nerds, sharpen your swords!
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What your Facebook updates say about your age
feature By analyzing Facebook posts, a new study uncovers which words best distinguish age groups from each other
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Why the government should never, ever meddle with language
feature The fluidity of language is a testament to democratic values
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Why does Q almost always go with a U?
feature Good question
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How does an exception prove a rule?
feature Wouldn't it do just the opposite? Doesn't it prove that the rule does not hold for all cases and is therefore not a rule at all?
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How a deaf couple had their baby officially registered with a sign name
feature It's formed by a change from a closed to open index and thumb handshape near the chin
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