If you want to gallivant across the globe, there’s no shortage of beautiful places full of interesting history to explore. And it’s worth noting (because we’re Dictionary.com, after all) many cities around the world have fascinating stories about where their names came from. Before you finalize your next travel plans, we’re passing along some of the cool stories about the origins of the names of …
Whether you were born with a stick in hand or only watch ice hockey during the battle for the Stanley Cup, there are plenty of terms to know during a game of hockey. You’ve likely heard of a slapshot, but can you define a gongshow? Do you know … What do you call a particularly tough goal? Who’s the duster in the game? Why is …
The phrases flesh out and flush out are proof of how much difference a single letter can make. They sound very similar, but their meanings are completely different. One is mainly used in abstract contexts, such as ideas and plans. The other is often used in literal contexts involving liquids and things like pipes and fire hydrants, as well as in other ways. In this …
Let’s hit the brakes and take a quick break to break down the difference between brake and break. We’ll answer all your questions, including: Did we just use all of those words correctly? What’s the difference between break and brake? Is it break down or brake down? Is it a break pedal or a brake pedal? In this article, we’ll cover multiple meanings of these …
By Laura Vismara The words trauma and traumatized have been consistently in the spotlight for the last two decades, rapidly surging to become commonplace and reaching new peaks of popularity in recent years, according to internet search trends. Propelled by major world events that rightfully fall under the label of traumatic—pandemics, wars, and episodes of violence to name a few—trauma has become epidemic. As we …
Hold up, slow down—should it be spelled it whoa or woah? The “proper” spelling of this commonly used interjection of surprise is widely debated. Saddle up, because we’re about to break down the difference between whoa and woah by revealing which one came first and which of the two is considered the more standard choice. The word whoa is an interjection that’s used in a …
Recent news has been filled with analysis that attempts to make sense of current events by comparing them to past moments in history—and applying some of the terminology that originated in the midst or aftermath of those earlier events. Prominent examples include terms based on the combination of a place name and the ending -ization, such as Afghanization (in the context of the withdrawal of …
If you’re in the business of defining and explaining words (which we are), it’s important to know the difference between denotation and connotation. These two terms are easy to confuse because they refer to related concepts. And every word can have both denotation and connotation. So what do they mean? In this article, we’ll explain the difference, give you tips for how to remember it, …
It’s common for the words reckless and wreck to be used in the same context, like in this sentence, for example: Many car wrecks are caused by reckless driving. But is wreckless a word? In this article, we’ll get to the bottom of the confusion between reckless and wreckless, including which one is used in common phrases—like those ending in driving and abandon. The adjective …
When it comes to spelling out numbers, knowing when and how to do so correctly might be trickier than you imagine. Many organizations and publications have their own style guides describing when and how to spell out numbers, but there are some general guidelines you can keep in mind when digits pop up in writing. Typically, you should spell out numbers below 10. Numbers over …
The words explicit and implicit can be easily confused. They sound similar, have the same ending, and are both abstract. Adding on to that, both words have multiple meanings—sometimes they’re opposites, and sometimes they simply mean different things. In this article, we’ll explain the different ways these two words are used, including which one means “implied” and which one means “expressed directly.” Don’t worry, we’ll …
It’s no wonder you might need advice when it comes to the difference between council and counsel. Not only are they pronounced identically, but they are both often used in the same contexts and sometimes even in the same sentence! However, these words do have different meanings, and one of them is always a noun while the other can be a noun or a verb. …
