Vocabulary.com Blog
Articles about Fun
Rebranding — which is a heckuva euphemism itself — has been the root cause of many euphemisms over the years, as fish have become sea kittens and rich jerks have become job creators. The latest attempt at ridiculous, retch-worthy rebranding is knowledge people: in other words, librarians.
Continue reading...
Word RoutesExploring the pathways of our lexicon
2013 Spelling Bee: Arvind Mahankali Turns "German Curse" Into "German Blessing"
Much of the buzz leading up to the 86th Scripps National Spelling Bee had to do with the first-ever inclusion of vocabulary questions in the off-stage portions of the competition. But in the end, it came down to a traditional spelling face-off over tricky words originating from other languages. Arvind Mahankali of Bayside Hills, New York had been stumped by German-derived words in the last two Bees, but this time a German word was his salvation.
Continue reading...
Word RoutesExploring the pathways of our lexicon
2013 Spelling Bee: 42 Make it Through Vocabulary-Infused Preliminaries
Two hundred eighty-one young contestants took on the new-and-improved preliminaries of the Scripps National Spelling Bee, which for the first time included questions about words' definitions along with their spellings. After the dust had cleared, 42 of them managed to make it to Thursday's semifinals.
Continue reading...
Word RoutesExploring the pathways of our lexicon
2013 Spelling Bee: Vocabulary Questions in the Spotlight
It's time once again for the Scripps National Spelling Bee, and the big news going into this year's competition is the inclusion of vocabulary questions along with the traditional spelling questions. Even though the new multiple-choice questions testing contestants' knowledge of definitions will only appear in the off-stage computerized portions of the Bee, it's still a controversial shift in format.
Continue reading...
An Inside Higher Ed article recently quoted Duke University physics professor Steffen Bass as describing the foolish stance of some of his colleagues as "bologna." Prof. Bass surely said baloney, a spelling that represents an Americanized pronunciation of bologna sausage, and it also came to mean "nonsense" in the 1920s.
Continue reading...
Tasty MorselsGood stuff from Vocabulary.com
Vocabulary Shout-Out to Jonathan Rauch for "Mesomorph"
A word to describe physique and also personality.
In writing about Harvard Medical School faculty member Dr. Angelo Volandes and the films he is making to help terminally-ill patients decide to opt out of medical intervention, The Atlantic contributing editor Jonathan Rauch uses mesomorph to describe Volandes' physical appearance.
Continue reading...
In the wake of the Scripps National Spelling Bee's announcement Tuesday that vocabulary questions will now be included in the Bee, quiz yourself on sample questions here.
Continue reading...
Sign up now (it’s free!)
Whether you’re a teacher or a learner,
Vocabulary.com can put you or your class
on the path to systematic vocabulary improvement.