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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.

Up next

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

 

The awkward case of 'his or her'

play serial comma
The Serial Comma Explained

 

Why don't they call it the Merriam-Webster comma?

play illustration of a man watching a washing machine overflow
'All over sudden' vs. 'All of a sudden'

 

Figuring it out at once

play hot mess
Hot Mess

 

Our research turned up two archaic literal meanings

play hanger-hangar-illustrations
Is It 'Hanger' or 'Hangar'?

 

How to remember which is which

play mrs malaprop
What is a Malaprop?

 

We'll tell you all the perpendiculars

play video how a word gets into the dicionary
How a Word Gets into the Dictionary

 

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

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
couple-laugh-cafe
Quiz: Foreign Phrases You Should Know Check out your bona fides and avoid any faux pas.
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