by Nick Norlen, Senior Editor Like everyone else, we’ve been playing with ChatGPT, the program that uses AI to generate text modeled on a vast database of existing writings. But instead of prompting it to produce a natural-sounding passage, we wanted to find out: can it compile unnatural-sounding phrases—ones that don’t exist in any known piece of published writing? The base prompt was simple: “Compose …
As you likely know, English is spoken all over the world. At the same time, there are many different types of English, such as American English, British English, and Australian English. Regardless of whether you live in Chicago, London, Toronto, or Sydney, many English words exist everywhere with the same meaning. However, there are quite a few words used by Americans and Canadians that aren’t …
Comic book creators and filmmakers pick some superhero names just because they sound cool. Other names, though, are chosen for their deep connection with a character or setting. Many of the names from Wakanda, the home of Black Panther, are especially rich in symbolism and significance. Join us as we answer these questions and more: Is there a real Wakanda that inspired the name of …
The world of pasta is filled with endless pastabilities thanks to a vast variety of shapes and sizes. Each noodle shape has a name that might seem random if you’re not caught up on your Italian, but with a little help on the translation, it will all start to make more sense. Think you know it all? We’ll go beyond spaghetti and penne and even serve …
Doomsday is one of those evocative words that paint a very vivid picture. We define doomsday: “the day of the Last Judgment, at the end of the world; nuclear destruction of the world; given to or marked by forebodings or predictions of impending calamity; especially concerned with or predicting future universal destruction.” As you can see, it’s about as bottom-line as it can get. Other words associated …
You’ve probably heard the phrase “breaking up is hard to do.” That’s because it is. Ending a relationship and being honest with someone about your feelings is rarely easy, but it’s a necessary part of life that every person goes through at some point. One thing that can make it easier when it’s time to break up is thinking carefully about the exact words you …
As the Covid-19 virus continues to spread and evolve, each new variant is given an official name—and sometimes an unofficial nickname. We’ll keep this page updated with the latest Covid-19 variant names and an explanation of where the new names come from. What is XBB.1.5? XBB.1.5 is a subvariant of the Omicron variant of the Covid-19 virus. In early 2023, medical experts described XBB.1.5 as …
Prince Harry’s highly anticipated memoir provides intimate details about his very public and often contentious life as part of—and apart from—the British royal family. But what is the significance of his choice of the book’s one-word title, Spare? The answer to that question lies in the phrase the heir and the spare. Top Cover Image Credit: Random House Group What does the heir and the …
While new words can make us swoon, they are unlikely to cause us to faint or lose consciousness. But as word lovers we can examine the word faint itself. What exactly is fainting, and what is the more formal medical term for it? In medicine, the term syncope is used to refer to fainting. Generally, this term is used to specifically refer to the act …
We’ve got our mind on our money and our money on our mind. And while we’re mulling over all this moolah, we’re also thinking about the many words we use to refer to cash. Don’t believe us? We’ll put our money where our mouth is and show you all the words we could find. (And best of all, it won’t cost you a dime! … …
Whenever lookups for a particular five-letter word spike at Dictionary.com, it’s a sure sign that the day’s Wordle answer is a real stumper. This actually happens quite often. Here are the top 25 Wordle answer lookups from 2022, ranked by search volume—along with their definitions. How many did you guess correctly? 1. trice noun a very short time; an instant. 2. knoll noun a small, …
Using our handy thesaurus or dictionary, you can gobble up a smorgasbord of new words to satiate your hunger for a wider vocabulary. Before your hearty meal is finished, you might be curious to know if there are actually any synonyms for the word burping. Is there some kind of fancy medical term to refer to expelling gas through the mouth? If you won’t be …