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Est. 1828
Grammar & Usage
More Words You Always Have to Look Up
The dictionary is always here to help
'Fewer' and 'Less'
We all want fewer problems and less trouble with 'fewer' and 'less'
7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words
We promise you're not the only one who has trouble with these words
Commonly Confused
Punctuation
Spelling & Pronunciation
Usage Notes
Popular
More Commonly Misspelled Words
Because spelling is tricky
Commonly Misspelled Words
Spelling is hard
How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
Be dashing—and do it well
Absent Letters That Are Heard Anyway
They aren't seen but they are heard
How to Use Accents and Diacritical Marks
You know, the markings above and below letters.
On 'Biweekly' and 'Bimonthly'
Sorry, not sorry
A Guide to Using Semicolons
You too can become a semicolon master!
Is it 'home in' or 'hone in'?
Both are used, but 'home in' does a better job of hitting the mark.
Commonly Confused
Commonly Confused
What's the Difference Between …
Buffalo/bison, college/university, and more
Read
What's the difference between 'sympathy' and 'empathy'?
You don't know how it feels
Read
Famous vs. Infamous
The prefix is not your friend
Read
'A' and 'An' and the Patterns of Their Use
Which gets used where?
Read
See All
On Synecdoche and Metonymy
When you are left to your own rhetorical devices.
Punctuation
See All
The History of 'Ampersand'
How the '&' got its name
All About Ellipses ...
How to use them … and talk about them
Should that word have a hyphen?
On open, closed, and hyphenated compounds
Comma Splices: What They Are and How to Correct Them (or not)
Adventurous writers pull them off regularly
Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?
The shifting role of the apostrophe
See All
Spelling & Pronunciation
Spelling & Pronunciation
The Many Plurals of 'Octopus'
But which is correct?
Read
Revealing What Rhymes with 'Orange'
It's technical, but it works.
Read
7 Uncommonly Doubled Letters
For word games and other shenanigans
Read
How to Remember the Spelling of 'Definitely'
A definitive answer.
See All
How to Pronounce the Trickiest Menu Items
No more order anxiety!
Usage Notes
Usage Notes
8 Grammar Terms You Used to Know, But Forgot
Plus yodeling
Read
Fun, Funner, Funnest
Why does it sound strange to say 'funner' or 'funnest?'
Using Bullet Points ( • )
Read
Is it 'graduated' or 'was graduated from'?
No, this will not be on the test
Read
See All
Is Singular 'They' a Better Choice?
The awkward case of 'his or her'
