Language Stories
Learn all about the English language, from fun word facts and trivia to etymologies, meanings, histories, and more.
Psst! Do You Know Any English Words Without Vowels?
Homophone vs. Homonym vs. Homograph: What’s the Difference?
Let’s Cut to the Chase: Idioms Are a Piece of Cake
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What Does The Name “Frankenstein” Actually Mean?
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What Is The Origin Of The Name “Monday”?
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“Democracy” vs. “Republic”: Is There A Difference?
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“Panic Attack” vs. “Anxiety Attack”: Which One Have You Had?
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Why Do We Say “Hello” and “Hi”?
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“Reeking” vs. “Wreaking”: What’s The Difference?
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“Theory” vs. “Hypothesis”: What Is The Difference?
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“Magma” vs. “Lava”: Which Is Scarier?
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“Marketing” vs. “Advertising”: What’s The Difference?
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“Intrusive” vs. “Obtrusive”: What’s The Difference?
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“Psychopath” vs. “Sociopath”: Is There A Difference?
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What Is The Difference Between A Llama And An Alpaca?
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“Dissent” vs. “Protest”: Why Choosing The Right Word Matters
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“Infamous” vs. “Notorious”: Which One Is Better?
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Emotional Support Animal vs. Therapy Animal vs. Service Animal
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“Street Art” vs. “Graffiti”: What’s The Difference?
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The Origin Of The Phrase “Thirty Days Hath September”
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Adios, Adieu, and Cheerio: Why Do We Say “Goodbye?”
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Asynchronous vs. Synchronous: What’s The Difference?
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What Character Was Removed From The Alphabet?
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“Strike” vs. “Boycott”: What’s The Difference In Their Demands?
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“Barbecuing,” “Grilling,” And “Smoking”: What’s The Difference?
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“Net” vs. “Gross”: What Does This Difference Cost You?
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“Ketchup” And Other Words From Mandarin And Cantonese
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“Karen” vs. “Becky” vs. “Stacy”: How Different Are These Slang Terms?
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What Is “GOP” Short For?
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“Democrat” vs. “Republican”: Where Did The Parties Get Their Names?
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“Malignant” vs. “Benign”: Which Is Which?
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“Majority” vs. “Plurality”: What Their Differences Mean For This Election
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English Words That Came From Hindi And Urdu
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What’s The Secret History Of The Term “Pundit”?
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“Sir” And “Madam” Are Shorter Versions Of What Words?
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Nazi vs. Fascist: Is There Really A Difference?
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“Race” vs. “Ethnicity”: Why These Terms Are So Complex
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How Many Words Are There In The English Language?
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“Capital” vs. “Capitol”: Do You Know Where You’re Going?
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WikiLeaks vs. Wikipedia: Do You Know The Difference?
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What’s The Difference Between “Mistrust” vs. “Distrust”?
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“Unalienable” vs. “Inalienable”: Is There A Difference?
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No One Pronounces These 10 Words The Same
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Where Did The Phrase “Thoughts And Prayers” Come From?
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Paradox vs. Oxymoron: What’s The Difference?
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“Slander” vs. “Libel” – What Is The Key Difference?
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These Uncommon Singular Words Sound So Wrong
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“Contagious” vs. “Infectious”: The Difference Can Be Important
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“Acronyms” vs. “Abbreviations” vs. “Initialisms:” What’s the Difference?
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“Gnarly,” “Nasty,” And “Sick”: Are These Synonyms?
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“Bare” vs. “Bear”: What Is The Difference?
