Grammar & Usage

Spelling & Pronunciation (page 2)

Why is there a 'd' in 'fridge' but not in 'refrigerator'?

Thawing one of the mysteries of English

What If There's Only One?

Uncommon singular versions of words

How Do You Pronounce 'Groceries'?

Is there one standard way?

Noah Webster's Spelling Wins and Fails

Some of his biggest successes and defeats

The Misspelled Words of the National Spelling Bee

Are these the hardest words in English?

Unearthing the Spelling of 'Cemetery' (as 'Sematary')

Sometimes sounding it out isn't better

The Land of Multisyllabic Homophones

A step up from 'there,' 'their,' and 'they're'

How Do You Pluralize ‘Mr.’ and ‘Mrs.'?

It’s not as easy as it looks.

Just what does that 'ae' say?

Pronunciation can be hard.

Nobody Pronounces the 'B' in 'Debt'

And nobody ever did

How do you pluralize 'cyclops'?

Just add an 'E.'

How do you pronounce 'the'?

How to say English's most common word

Which Is The Correct Plural Spelling? (It's a Trick Question)

Multiple spellings for "multiple" words.

9 Words with Unnecessary Syllables

'Argumentative', 'interpretate', and more

The Height of Mispronunciation—Or Not

Why doesn't 'height' end in 'th'?

I Before E Except After C

The famous rhyme is wrong

How to Read a French Menu

How to 'amuse-bouche' without begging pardon for your French

Why "I Before E" Won't Always Help You

Unfortunately, the Rule Is Incomplete

Why Do We Skip the 'C' in 'Indict'?

Yet we don't in 'edict' or 'verdict'

Is It 'Attorney Generals' Or 'Attorneys General'?

'Poets laureate'? 'Court-martials'? The curious history of postpositive adjectives in English.

Failed Attempts to Reform English Spelling

8 spelling suggestions that didn't stick

'Mispronunciations' That May Be Fine

'Mischievous,' 'nuclear,' and other words to pronounce with caution.

An Abbreviated History of American English Spelling

Soop, wimmen, and headake did not make the cut
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