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Articles from 2012
Under the HoodThe science of vocabulary building
Do I Know You? Word Knowledge Limbo
Relax. Word knowledge is a spectrum. And you're moving your way across it.
According to vocabulary education researchers, "knowing" and "not knowing" doesn't describe how we learn words. Rather, there's a spectrum of knowledge that ranges from "I never saw it before" to "I’ve heard of it, but I don’t know what it means" to "I recognize it in context -- it has something to do with..." to "I know it."
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Live from Brooklyn, puzzlemaster Brendan Emmett Quigley is providing exclusive commentary from the 2012 American Crossword Puzzle Tournament. Brendan's got the scoop on all the action at the end of the first day of competition.
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This weekend, puzzlers will come together in Brooklyn for the 35th American Crossword Puzzle Tournament, organized by New York Times puzzle editor Will Shortz. The reigning champ, Dan Feyer, has been described as a crossword-solving machine. But he better look out, because this time there will be competition from an actual crossword-solving machine.
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It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World
Mad Men, March Madness...the usage examples are going mad!
With March Madness under way and the AMC "Mad Men" premiere scheduled to air this Sunday night, the usage example tracker on our Dictionary page for the word mad is going, well, mad!
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The word bludgeon is perfect for writers looking for a synonym for club that isn't overused. It can be a noun or a verb. As a noun it means "a heavy, short club that is thicker at one end or is weighted at one end." Think of the clichéd caveman's club, and you've got the right idea.
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Have a list of vocabulary words to learn for school? Need to learn to spell a list of words? Want to improve your reading comprehension? Not only is Vocabulary.com an excellent tool for building vocabulary, it can help you do your homework as well.
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Learn Ten Words from Today's Times
Learn Ten Words from Today's Times
Take on Ten Words from Today's Times - Mar. 8, 2012 in an epic battle: you versus the morning paper.
Then see Vocabulary Begets Vocabulary: The More You Know, the More You Learn to understand why learning these words will help you absorb even more as you read.
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