Grammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing

Why English is the best language for Wordle, with Lynne Murphy

928. Listen to the interview that got me playing Wordle again. Lynne Murphy shared all sorts of things you probably didn't know about this game!

What's wrong with 'there are' sentences? 5 fun facts about Spanish for Cinco de Mayo

926. You may remember being told not to start sentences with "there are," but do you know why? We have the answer! Plus, for Cinco de Mayo, we have five fun facts about Spanish.

What we get wrong about 'um' and 'uh,' with Valerie Fridland

924. What if I told you that you actually should use "uh" and "um" when you're giving a talk? And what if I told you "dude" was originally an anti-masculine word? Those are just some of the surprising insights from ...

Killer bunnies in medieval manuscripts. The strange rules of 'dozen.'

922. "A dozen of eggs" sounds weird, but why? Rabbits performing violent acts are a common scene in medieval marginalia. But why are they there? Turns out—Monty Python was on to something!

Why we have both 'a' and 'an.' What does it mean to be lonely? Sufficiency.

920. Once you start thinking about it, it's weird that we have both "a" and "an." It gets even weirder from there! Plus, modern loneliness, and its solutions, are quite different from what they were when the word was first ...

Why do people 'drop' a new single? How to pronounce 'often.'

918. Since "drop" can mean both "to release" and "to cancel," it can get confusing. We look at how this confusion came to be (and how to avoid it). Plus, we wade into the debate about whether there's a right ...

How writing very short stories can improve all your writing (with Grant Faulkner)

916. Grant Faulkner, author of "The Art of Brevity" and executive director of NaNoWriMo talks with us about how writing very short stories can improve all your writing.

Interview with a creator of 'Schoolhouse Rock'!

914. To mark the 50th anniversary of "Schoolhouse Rock," the Saturday morning cartoon that taught millions of children about grammar, math, and more, we have a special multi-interview podcast, including memories from George Newall, one of the creators of the ...

Teddy Bears. The Brothers Grimm. Danger Cluck.

912. We look at who the Teddy is in "teddy bears" and reveal why the Brothers Grimm, from fairytales, were also massively important in linguistics.

Inflation, quiet quitting, and "un-" words, like "undressed," that can have two meanings. Gotcha Day.

910. The final Grammar Girl word-of-the-year vote came down to "inflation" and "quiet quitting." We look at the interesting arguments voters made for both. Plus, we look at why some words that start with "un-" mean "not" and others mean ...

World Cup Words. The Origin of Toasting. Says.

908. You had word-related questions after watching the World Cup. We have answers! And for the holidays, we look at the origin of toasting with wine (and why it actually IS related to toasted bread).

The Wonderful Words of Christmas

906. A'wassailing. Noel. Mistletoe. Trolling the ancient Yuletide carol, and more. We look into the wonderful words of Christmas and their origins — as delightful as a Christmas cookie.

What's a Honeyfuggler? 'Through' vs. 'Throughout.' Arriversary.

904. "Through" and "throughout" may seem interchangeable, but they're not. We have some creative memory tricks to help you remember the difference. Plus, we have fun with the word "honeyfuggler."

Why Today's 'Thank You' Is Different from an Ancient 'Thank You.' Gerunds.

902. Language reflects culture, so it's no surprise that giving thanks hundreds of years ago was different from giving thanks today. We have the fascinating history. And then, since "Thanksgiving" is a gerund, we looked at all the interesting things ...

The Medieval Origins of the @ Symbol. Hyphens in Dual-Heritage Terms. Pitch.

900. The story of the @ symbol is much bigger than email. In fact, it was used for hundreds of years before being saved from obscurity by the invention of electronic communication. I explore the medieval origin story of @, ...

Randall Munroe of xkcd: Language Chat and Weird Bee Laws.

898. Randall Munroe joined me this week to talk about his language-themed xkcd cartoons, his simple-language project Up Goer V, his biggest pet peeve, his favorite words, and his new book "What If? 2." But I have to confess that ...

Wick-ED Fun Pronunciations. Deviled Eggs.

896. If you've ever wondered why we pronounce the "-ed" at the end of "wicked" (and "jagged," "beloved" and more), but don't at the end of words like "aggrieved," this show is for you! You'll also discover why "wicked" is ...

Mood & Atmosphere in Fiction. An Interview with Joshua Essoe

894. Whether you're getting ready for National Novel Writing Month or just want to watch movies or read novels with more insight, this interview with fiction editor Joshua Essoe will help you about mood and atmosphere in ways you probably ...

Why Some People Say 'Might Could.' The Spanish Influence on English. Mickle Story.

892. We recently got a question about why people use a type of double-verb construction, such as "We might could go to the store." We have the answer! Plus, in honor of the upcoming National Hispanic Heritage Month, we look ...

'Skrrt,' 'Bottle Episode,' 'Skeuomorphs' and more. An Interview with John Kelly of Dictionary.com.

890. John Kelly, senior director of editorial at Dictionary.com, talks with Mignon about a bunch of fun new words and about how words get added to the dictionary in general.

How Gendered Languages Are Changing. Jugopop.

888. This week we take a fascinating look at how highly gendered languages are dealing with the drive to become more inclusive. Plus, we look at the differences between "simple" and "simplistic" and "backward" and "backwards."

A Riotous Good Time with Ellen Jovin of the Grammar Table

The delightful Ellen Jovin of the Grammar Table (you may have seen her sitting on the street answering grammar questions in your city) joined me to talk about her new book, "Rebel with a Clause," what possessed her to set ...

Why Nobody Says 'You're Welcome' Anymore. Whose. Chimichanga.

Surprising Words Related to 'Freedom.' Double Subjects. Foop.

For Independence Day, we look at the word "freedom" and the surprising words that came from the same roots. Plus, we look at odd sentences with double subjects and when you should (and shouldn't) use them.

The Many Meanings of 'Father.' How Watergate Changed English. Punim

"Father" as a word shows how we humans love to extend our metaphors. Did you know it was only relatively recently that priests were referred to as "father," for example? And then, for the 50th anniversary of the Watergate scandal, ...