The 2019 Scripps National Spelling Bee ended with eight winners on Thursday. Any remaining contestant who spelled a word correctly in the 20th round was crowned a winner. See if you can guess the correct spellings of some of the hardest words contestants had to spell. Visit INSIDER’s homepage for […]

Americans vary in how they pronounce the words “merry,” “marry,” and “Mary.” A majority, 57%, of Americans pronounce all three words the same. The divide highlights something fascinating about American English. You’re probably going to hear the phrase “merry Christmas” a lot over the next few days. But depending on […]

Some English words are spelled in complicated, counterintuitive ways. Raj Haldar and Chris Carpenter wrote a children’s book called “P is for Pterodactyl: The Worst Alphabet Book Ever” to explore some of these words. Here’s a selection of pages from the book. No matter how old you are, unusual words […]

The Oxford English Dictionary is constantly adding new words and some new additions may come as a surprise. Fans of “The Sopranos” will be happy to see “Fuhgeddaboudit” in the dictionary. Words like “vom” and “bridey” may raise some eyebrows. Visit Insider’s homepage for more stories. The Oxford English Dictionary […]

The letter Q is almost always followed by a U in English, but that isn’t always the case. Scrabble players tend to struggle with words using a Q, but experienced players know they don’t need a U to follow it. There are a handful of words that English borrowed from […]

There isn’t a strong link between good spelling and intelligence, but that doesn’t mean spelling doesn’t matter. Proper spelling makes people perceive you as more intelligent and can increase your chances of getting a job. We compiled 27 of the most common spelling mistakes in the English language. Science has […]

In the United States, glowing insects are known as “fireflies” or “lightning bugs” depending on where you live. “Firefly” is the more common term in the West and New England, while people in the South and most of the Midwest tend to say “lightning bug.” There’s an interesting theory to […]

In the film “Sorry to Bother You,” a black telemarketer finds success only after he starts speaking in a “white voice.” The movie is rooted in science – linguists have long known that minorities face discrimination based on the sound of their voice. One linguist tried responding to local apartment […]

English has plenty of confusing aspects that annoy people learning the language. Non-native speakers have trouble with English spelling, the amount of synonyms in the language, and differences between American and British English. We looked through comment threads from around the internet to find the most annoying aspects of the […]

Some languages are harder to learn than others. For English speakers, it is especially difficult to learn languages like Japanese, Arabic, and Hungarian. That’s because they contain very different grammar systems, sounds, and features than English. Learning a new language can be a rewarding experience, but as with any new […]

The English language can be a lucrative language to master. The Occupational Information Network (O*NET) lists jobs that require English language skills . They found plenty of high-paying jobs for people who excel at the English language. Love the English language and words? Have a solid command of English grammar […]

There are plenty of English words and phrases that sound made up or incorrect, but are actually valid. They include alternative meanings for “literally” and idioms like “you’ve got another think coming.” Those examples have hundreds of years of history on their side – and so do these other ones. […]

Canada and the United States are both English-speaking countries, but they don’t speak exactly alike. Canadians have a long list of slang terms and colourful expressions that set their dialect apart from American English. We compiled a list of 31 Canadian words that would confuse Americans, including words like “keener,” […]

People in the American South have one of the most famous dialects in the United States, from their distinctive drawl to the versatile pronoun “y’all.” And there are some things Southerners say differently from the rest of the US. Southern vocabulary can be confusing to outsiders, especially when a common […]

Southern Americans are well known for their distinctive dialect of English. From its country twang to its unique vocabulary, there is a lot that sets Southern English apart from other US dialects. Graphic designer Joshua Katz mapped some of the most distinctive elements of Southern English in 2013 using data […]

In a country as vast as the United States, you’re hardly ever going to find a consensus on how to say something. Do you drink soda, or do you call it pop? Do you wear sneakers, or tennis shoes? The answers vary depending on where you ask the question. Linguists […]

The White House released a statement on Thursday that made English lovers everywhere facepalm. The statement was released as President Donald Trump touted his promise to slash regulations on federal agencies. Check out the first line in the statement: https://twitter.com/freddoso/status/941417408480317440?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw “We will get rid of the redundancy and duplication that […]