Vocabulary.com Blog
Articles from 2013
With the government shutdown over and the default crisis averted, what many commentators called a "game of chicken" has finally ended on Capitol Hill. In my latest column for the Wall Street Journal, I take a look at how political stare-downs earned this appellation, and how chickens became animalistic symbols of cowardice in the first place.
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Under the HoodThe science of vocabulary building
How Your Words Predict Your Age, Gender, and Personality
A new study shows how this works
If you've ever wondered whether your word choices matter, look no further than the World Well Being Project to determine that they do. In this new study, psychology researchers were able to show that the words you use most often can predict your age, gender, and even your personality.
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Vocabulary Shout-Out
Eleanor Catton Wins Man Booker Prize With "Spume"
The youngest ever Man Booker recipient's novel "The Luminaries" is replete with A+ words
Eleanor Catton, who was awarded the Man Booker Prize earlier this week for her novel The Luminaries, uses the rare and interesting spume.
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Tasty MorselsGood stuff from Vocabulary.com
What's Your "Happiest Moment" With a Dictionary?
It's National Dictionary Day, so let the love flow
Today is National Dictionary Day! And as big fans of the dictionary as a concept, an object, and an online tool, we are celebrating by asking Vocabularians to let us know their "happiest moment" with a Dictionary.
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Dept. of Word Lists
"Sordid" and "Blatant" Attacks: Ten Words in the News You Need to Know
Get confident with vocabulary from headline news!
Between Congressional brinkmanship and a bullying related arrest, the rhetoric of outrage is placing words like "blatant" and "sordid" in the news.
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As a teacher, writer and editor, I spend a significant portion of my life reminding others (and myself) that certain pairs of words are not interchangeable, although they might seem to be. Now isn't the same as know, and affect can't pinch-hit for effect. Lose vs. loose is a particular frustration as of late. However, in all of my many years of teaching and writing, no one has ever asked me whether they ought to use O or oh, and this makes me sad.
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Blog Excerpts
Happy Dictionary Day!
October 16th is National Dictionary Day, commemorating the birth of the great lexicographer Noah Webster. Celebrate by delving into our archive for articles about Webster and the world of dictionaries. A sampling: "Noah Webster at 250: A Visionary or a Crackpot?," "The Case for Dictionary Day," "The Birth of Webster's Dictionary," and "Dictionary Day and the Quest for All-American Words."
Topics:
Dictionaries
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