Grammar Girl: For Writers and Language Lovers.

Grammar Girl: For Writers and Language Lovers.

education

Five-time winner of Best Education Podcast in the Podcast Awards. Grammar Girl provides short, friendly tips to improve your writing and feed your love of the English language. Whether English is your first language or your second language, these grammar, punctuation, style, and business tips will make you a better and more successful writer. Grammar Girl is a Quick and …

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The 3,000 hidden colors of the dictionary, with Kory Stamper

<p>1173. This week, we talk to former Merriam-Webster editor Kory Stamper to discuss her new book, "True Color." We look at the obsessive, "dictionary-ese" world of color definitions, looking at …

Apr 02, 2026 · 34m

Denim: Secret place names hiding in plain sight. Why the principal is more than your pal.

<p>1172. This week, we look at "toponyms" — words named after places — and you'll discover the hidden place names in denim, jeans, sherry, cantaloupe, and more. Then, we break down …

Mar 31, 2026 · 13m

The crossword puzzle's role in World War II and the fight against Nazism.

<p>1171. In the bonus segment that aired for Grammarpaloozians in November, we look at the early history of crossword puzzles and their surprising political uses. Natan Last explains how the …

Mar 26, 2026 · 18m

Feghoots: Groan-worthy story puns. How your brain stores words.

<p>1170. This week, we look at "feghoots," the pun-based stories popularized by writers like Isaac Asimov, and why they are designed to make you roll your eyes. Then, we look …

Mar 24, 2026 · 17m

The ‘Tale of Two Dictionaries,’ with Peter Sokolowski

<p>1169. In this bonus segment, originally released in November, we look at Peter Sokolowski's "Tale of Two Dictionaries," tracing the word "dictionary" back to a 16th-century Latin work by a …

Mar 19, 2026 · 22m

Why leprechauns are shoemakers. The March equinox versus the vernal equinox.

<p>1168. This week, we look at the word "leprechaun" and its surprisingly wild origin story involving shoemaking, ancient Rome, and wolf-men. Then we look at the word "equinox": its Chaucer …

Mar 17, 2026 · 13m

'Mini' and 'factoid' don't mean what you think, with Jess Zafarris

<p>1167. In this bonus segment that originally ran for Grammarpaloozians last October, we look at the surprising true origins of words that often fool people. We explore why "miniature" originally …

Mar 12, 2026 · 13m

Is the Academy Awards singular or plural? Writing about time.

<p>1166. This week, we look the grammar of the Academy Awards and how to avoid an "illogical plot twist" in your sentences. Then, we look at common time-related redundancies like …

Mar 10, 2026 · 17m

Mapping the American Tongue: The Dictionary of American Regional English (DARE), with Joan Houston Hall

<p>1165. Today, we talk with Joan Houston Hall to look at the monumental task of documenting how Americans speak. We look at the Dictionary of American Regional English (DARE), exploring …

Mar 05, 2026 · 38m

The history of the octothorpe. Sir Fragalot and sentence fragments. Dribzle.

<p>1164. This week, we look at the origin of the octothorpe — also known as the pound sign or hashtag — and why it has so many different names. Then, …

Mar 03, 2026 · 16m

How 'be like' took over the world, with Sali Tagliamonte

<p>1163. This week, we look at what it’s like to be a "language detective" with Sali Tagliamonte and how she used her own teenagers as a research lab. We look …

Feb 26, 2026 · 26m

Why 'Tonka' sounds big and 'bitty' sounds small. Why you CAN start a sentence with 'because.'

<p>1162. This week, we look at why some names just "feel right" while others don't and how vowels like "ee" create associations with smallness and sweetness while back vowels like …

Feb 24, 2026 · 13m

WHY WE USE ALL CAPS TO SHOUT, with Glenn Fleishman

<p>1161. Today, we look at the history of writing in all-uppercase letters. Tech historian Glenn Fleishman explains how capitals transitioned from a sign of importance to a convention for shouting. …

Feb 19, 2026 · 27m

Battle of the moguls. 'Awhile' versus 'a while.' Crittador.

<p>1160. This week, we look at why "mogul" means both a ski bump and a powerful person. Then, we tackle when to use "awhile" versus "a while," with a trick …

Feb 17, 2026 · 13m

Writing for ‘civic clarity’ (plus, the power of short sentences), with Roy Peter Clark

<p>1159. This week, we look at "civic clarity" with writing instructor Roy Peter Clark in a newly edited version of our 2020 conversation. We look at the ethical code of …

Feb 12, 2026 · 23m

How bored tourists invented an Olympic sport. Centigrade or Celsius? Piqua

<p>1158. This week, we go full Winter Olympics, tracing the origin of "ski," "luge," "toboggan," and more. Then, we look at why we say "Celsius" instead of "centigrade."</p><p>🔗 <a href="https://www.patreon.com/cw/grammargirl" …

Feb 10, 2026 · 13m

Why AI loves em dashes, with Sean Goedecke

<p>1157. This week, we look at AI em dashes with Sean Goedecke, software engineer for GitHub. We talk about why artificial intelligence models frequently use em dashes and words like …

Feb 05, 2026 · 23m

Why 'forte' has three pronunciations. What is 'playing the dozens'? Ornish

<p>1156. This week, we look at the pronunciation chaos surrounding "forte" and "pianoforte," from the French fencing term meaning "strong point" to the Italian musical direction meaning "loud." Then, we …

Feb 03, 2026 · 14m

How can there be hundreds of words for snow? with Dr. Charles Kemp

<p>1155. This week, we look at whether it’s actually true that Inuit languages have hundreds of words for snow with Dr. Charles Kemp. We look at how researchers used a …

Jan 29, 2026 · 13m

Scarecrows and other 'cutthroat' compounds. Reading versus listening. Squirrel Hill Tunnel.

<p>1154. This week, we look at "headless" nouns like "scarecrow," "pickpocket," and "breakfast." We look at why these "cutthroat compounds" break the normal rules of English grammar. Then, we look …

Jan 27, 2026 · 16m

Scrabble strategy and tournament culture, with John Chew

<p>1153. This week, we look at the high-stakes world of Scrabble tournaments with John Chew, head of the North American Scrabble Players Association. We look at the strict etiquette of …

Jan 22, 2026 · 45m

What is a baker’s dozen? Making O-words plural. Wrong pew.

<p>1152. This week, we look at what a baker's dozen is and why it's actually 13. We also look at other "dozen" phrases, like "devil's dozen" and "banker's dozen." Finally, …

Jan 20, 2026 · 13m