The blog
Stories words don't tell you out loud
Short, well-sourced deep dives into where words actually came from.
Salary: A Tiny History Lesson You Say Out Loud
Every payday, English speakers repeat a two-thousand-year-old Roman transaction without noticing — and 'salary' is only the most obvious example.
Sep 5, 2026Stuttering and Cluttering Aren't Accents — Here's the Actual Difference
Why the speech patterns called stuttering and cluttering are a different category of thing entirely from a foreign accent, and where to actually get help for them.
Sep 4, 2026NiceMeanings Drift — Sometimes on Purpose
'Nice' once meant 'foolish.' 'Awful' once meant 'full of awe.' Words don't just gain new senses over time — sometimes they flip completely.
Aug 28, 2026KetchupHow Languages Secretly Borrow From Each Other
English has pulled words from more than 350 languages — and the well-traveled 'ketchup' is just the beginning of the story.
Aug 18, 2026robotThe Word 'Robot' Was Born on a Stage, Not in a Lab
Before it meant a machine, 'robot' meant forced labor — a Czech word for serfdom that a playwright's brother repurposed for a 1920 science-fiction play.
Jul 8, 2026GiftFalse Friends: Why 'Gift' Means Poison in German
English and German share a common ancestor — which is exactly why the word 'Gift' quietly went from 'something given' to 'poison' on one side of the North Sea.
Jun 16, 2026serendipityWhy 'Serendipity' Was Invented by Accident
A word about lucky accidents that was itself coined almost by accident — from a Persian fairy tale to a British letter in 1754.
Jun 2, 2026