Dictionary Week was planned as a celebration of Dictionary.com’s 28th birthday—a word party in honor of all the ways words touch our lives. We loved celebrating with you so much that we’ve rounded up some of our favorite moments and highlights. Cheers!
😜 Wordplay Day
We kicked the week off with Wordplay Day by asking you to share some of your favorite puns—some of which even made it into our Pun Hall of Fame!
I saw a theatrical performance about puns. It was a play on words.
— Kevan Brown (@KevanUSM) May 15, 2023
Believe it or not, I can cut a piece of wood in half just by looking at it. Seriously, I saw it with my own eyes. #DictionaryWeek
— R.C. Liley (@going_dad) May 15, 2023
I was wondering why the ball was getting bigger. Then it hit me.
My kid loved this one during tball season!
— ThatRoadtripMom (@RoadTripMomDE) May 15, 2023
If you’re missing the Wordplay fun, you can still challenge yourself with our hand-picked word riddles and trivia.
Test if you’re a true logophile with these word riddles, brain teasers, and trivia.
😍 Word Love Day
Tuesday was Word Love Day, and we spread the love with a Word Giveaway, handing out limited edition virtual word certificates of favorite words hand-picked by the Dictionary.com team!
I got my very own word from @Dictionarycom and I will try to use it on a sentence weekly. https://t.co/ux3GYTwkNL
— Laura Fawcett (@RogueFour) May 16, 2023
I just ordered some new undercrackers yesterday. Coincidence? 🤔 https://t.co/VQW1JtRMzK
— Teri Carter (@teri_atthepaper) May 16, 2023
10 year old me needs to acknowledge the sheer joy of The Dictionary talking back to me today. 📚
— Teri Carter (@teri_atthepaper) May 16, 2023
I refrained from requesting a free word because I didn’t want to appear avaricious.
With that said; this devotee is much grateful, @GrantBarrett. The word may have no cash value, however your gift is priceless.#DictionaryWeekhttps://t.co/NSv16FaU4k pic.twitter.com/ZVRFzS3F8f
— Classic Literature Enthusiast 📚 (@luftmenschNdrew) May 16, 2023
We also shared some of our favorite stories about the figures who changed the course of word history.
Learn the names of some of the people who left a legacy on language.
🤕 Word Pain Day
Wednesday was Word Pain Day and our Misspelling Bee, a wrong-answers-only communal commiseration about all the frustration words have inflicted upon us.
I loved spelling as a kid but I was foiled in the spelling bee way too early by my nemesis, broccoli 🥦- to this day, I have to think about how to spell it even though my father thought it was good to have us spell antidisestablishmentarianism in grade school Lolol
— KRockRN (@krockrn) May 18, 2023
That’s a common mistake. Here’s the difference:
Somersault is “an acrobatic movement, either forward or backward, in which the body rolls end over end.”
Summersalt is what you use, along with summerpepper, to season your food in July.
— Dictionary.com (@Dictionarycom) May 17, 2023
There’s a reason why the Dictionary and the Encyclopedia don’t talk anymore. They know what they did.
— Dictionary.com (@Dictionarycom) May 17, 2023
Remember: miLLeNNials want more of everything: 2 Ls, 2 Ns, and 2 slices of avocado toast.
(Our social media manager is a millennial, for what it’s worth.)
— Dictionary.com (@Dictionarycom) May 17, 2023
We also offered a cure for the Word Pain with our tips on tackling the most common misspellings.
Check out some of the most universally misspelled words—with helpful spelling tips for each one.
🤔 Word Curiosity Day
Thursday was Word Curiosity Day, an occasion for honoring all the way words spark our inquisitiveness.
Our “Ask Us Anything” session exceeded expectations—our readers posed some exceptional questions to our expert panel.
Ask Us Anything, starting… now! Our expert panel is ready and eager for your #DictionaryWeek questions.
Reply to this tweet with anything you’d like to know about dictionaries, words, lexicography, etc. We’ll try to answer as many questions as we can! pic.twitter.com/v6LFvhX06c
— Dictionary.com (@Dictionarycom) May 18, 2023
Fiscally solvent. —John
First-rate, formidable, fine, first class, fantastic, fabulous, fab, and now, famous. —Grant
Fetching! I used https://t.co/EqBrX5IzAi to look up synonyms for adorable! 😍 —Dara
— Dictionary.com (@Dictionarycom) May 18, 2023
The first records of the use of the word “whoa” are in reference to the command to stop, especially when given to a horse. It’s thought to be a variant of the word “ho,” which was an earlier way of commanding a horse to stop. —John
— Dictionary.com (@Dictionarycom) May 18, 2023
Sibling is also gender-neutral. It has helped inspire gender-neutral words that fill some gaps in English, such as “nibling” (gender-neutral term akin to niece and nephew) and “pibling” (gender-neutral term akin to aunt and uncle). —John
— Dictionary.com (@Dictionarycom) May 18, 2023
In a word: yes! And it’s not just about the wonder of words. It’s about the people: the amazing team who makes the dictionary happen and our amazing community, like you, who uses it. —Dara
— Dictionary.com (@Dictionarycom) May 18, 2023
I knew it!!
I’ve loved dictionary dot com for many, many years. I appreciate everything you guys do. 💜— Jhennifer 💜 Scruff-Stan For Life (@Psylphen) May 18, 2023
Still have questions? Read our FAQs about how the dictionary works.
🤩 Word Inspiration Day
Dictionary Week culminated with Word Inspiration Day. We asked you to submit a word that inspires you—a word you love, that defines you, or that would want your name to appear next to in the Dictionary. We received more than 500 submissions! Stay tuned—we may choose some as our Word of the Day!
We’ve leave you with some inspiring quotes about the beauty of words and the potential they have to move us to action.
