Words

If we listen across the globe, we’ll hear all sorts of gasping H's and gulping K's, so much so that it almost seems like there’s a universal word for hiccup. Except there are some surprising, er, hiccups along the way.

Many euphemisms exist for a state or federal prison stay—and once inside, inmates have to adopt a whole new jargon to navigate incarcerated life.

J remains a fairly rare letter in English—you can expect to find it in just 0.16 percent of the words in a dictionary

Tired of thinking outside the box? Try thinking outside the dots, instead.

Irroborate your vernacular with this batch of inkhorns.

'Mea culpa' is a little more specific than 'sorry.'

The English meaning of ‘Mea culpa!’ is basically “My bad!” In Latin, but it’s slightly more nuanced.

Some of the old advice still rings true today.

Even the Tudors knew not to shoot the messenger (even if they phrased it a little differently).

Handy words to get you out of a humstrum. Your curiosity to learn these is an honestation.

She's dreaming about a giant insect melting into goo.

The meaning of your fever dream is probably just this: You have a fever.

How is language evolving on the Internet? In this series on internet linguistics, Gretchen McCulloch breaks down the latest innovations in online communication.

Estimates vary widely—but it’s generally agreed that your words-per-minute rate for a speech should be lower.

If you've ever wondered when to say to hoagie instead of sub (always), or what qualifies as a jawn (everything), check out these Philly slang terms.

There's an adorable term for all those teeth hockey players lose.

You might be spitting chiclets if you do too much chirping. That sentence will make a whole lot more sense after you learn about hockey slang.

They're talking about cows, cats, and curls.

From ‘titty’ to ‘boner,’ these rude words aren’t actually always rude.

Are you an "adjective-jerker," a "learning-shover," a "sublime rascal," or perhaps a "castor-oil artist"?

Antidisestablishmentarianism is regarded as the longest non-medical, non-coined, nontechnical word in the English language—and it keeps some robust company.

Greek language employs many sharp, oddly entertaining expressions and phrases, from "black and spidery" to "I ate a door."

Generation Z—that emergent generation of idealists and doomscrollers—are still busy defining themselves. But they definitely want to do something about climate change.