A Napron, an Apron: The Words That Lost or Gained an N
Apron, adder and umpire all lost an N to the article in front of them, while newt and nickname picked one up.…
Category
Category: Spelling & Etymology
The history behind English spelling: why knight keeps its K, how printers and dictionary makers fixed our spellings, and where borrowed words such as robot and tsunami came from. Historical claims are checked against established dictionaries, and each essay lists its sources.
Octopuses or Octopi? The Right Plural for Cactus, Data, Criteria and More
Octopuses and octopi are both recorded, data can take a singular verb, and agenda is no longer plural. Here is what dictionaries…
Color or Colour? A Decision Chart for Writers and Word-Game Players
The game accepts both color and colour, yet rejects colourful and watercolour. This chart separates the word-game question from the writing question…
Where Do Our Strangest Words Come From? Fourteen Borrowings and Their Journeys
Robot began as a Czech word for forced labour and shampoo once meant a massage. Here are fourteen everyday words with well-documented…
Why English Spelling Is So Weird: From Caxton’s Eggs to Webster’s Color
English spelling was never designed in one sitting. This essay follows it from Old English through Caxton, the Great Vowel Shift and…