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Usage Notes

Is Singular 'They' a Better Choice?

The awkward case of 'his or her'

"Everyone should do his or her best in whatever situations he or she happens to find himself or herself in?" That's awkward. Perhaps everyone should just do their best in the situations they find themselves in. Even if their best involves they as a singular pronoun.

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play video his or her
Is Singular 'They' a Better Choice?

 

The awkward case of 'his or her'

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How to Remember the Spelling of 'Definitely'

 

A definitive answer.

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What Is 'Semantic Bleaching'?

 

How 'literally' can mean "figuratively"

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How a Word Gets into the Dictionary

 

What our editors are looking for when they enter words in Merriam-Webster.

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How to Remember 'Affect' and 'Effect'

 

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

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Old-School Grammar

 

Many of today's grammar rules can be traced to the opinions of one 18th century writer.

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Who vs. Whom

 

Good news for those who feel stuffy saying 'whom.'

Games & Quizzes

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Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Word Game Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
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Guess the Curious Origins of These Everyday Words Oh, that’s where that comes from…
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