About

The Verbarium is an independent publication about English words: counted word lists, the history behind our spelling, and tested answers to the questions people actually ask. I write and check everything on it myself. Every word count and every “valid” or “not valid” verdict is generated from one fixed 172,446-word list that is published, dated and fingerprinted, so you can check it rather than take it on trust.

I’m Kleoniq Kosova, a writer based in Tirana, Albania. I started the site because most pages about word lists are generated in bulk and never checked, and because the interesting questions about English (why knight has a K, why colourful fails in one game and colorful scores) rarely get a straight answer in the same place as practical advice.

What the site is

Five desks, all built on the same checked word data: Word Lists (complete, counted lists), Spelling & Etymology (why English spelling looks the way it does, with sources), How-to Guides (step-by-step answers, each one tested before it was written up), Vocabulary (words with surprising behaviour) and Find the Word Guides (the free timed game I built, and how to get better at it).

Some of what that looks like in practice, and where the game fits:

• Counted reference such as the guide to the hard letters Q, X, Z and J, where every figure comes from the published word list rather than a scrape.
• Practice material: self-tests like the three-letter word quiz, routines like word recall training, and printable worksheets and cheat sheets.
• Language history: essays such as why English spelling is so weird, with sources listed so you can follow them up.
• The game: Find the Word, free and built by me — one letter, sixty seconds, alone or against a friend. It runs on the same word list the articles are counted from, which is how the data here gets tested in public.

How the content is checked

Every figure and every “valid” or “not valid” verdict is generated from that published word list rather than typed from memory, and the file, its limits and the offensive-word blocklist are described in full on how we check words. History and etymology claims are checked against established dictionaries, and where the experts are unsure, the article says so instead of picking the tidiest story.

When a page is substantially revised, it shows an “Updated” date under the byline. If you find an error, a word the game should accept, or a claim you think is wrong, please tell me through the contact page or at TheVerbarium@gmail.com. I read every message.

What the site is not

The Verbarium is not affiliated with any board-game publisher or official competition word list, and a word accepted here may be rejected by another game. It is an independent publication funded by advertising, and no advertiser has any say over what is published or how it is phrased; the details are in the privacy policy and the disclaimer.

Thanks for reading. If you find a mistake, tell me — it goes in the corrections log, with a date.

Kleoniq