Vocabulary.com Blog
Articles from 2015
Word RoutesExploring the pathways of our lexicon
The Story of "Boondoggle": A Useful Word for Useless Work
From Boy Scout craft to symbol of "Roosevelt the Waster."
For the Slate podcast Lexicon Valley, I explored the peculiar origins of the word boondoggle, which took a strange trip from the world of Boy Scouts to the world of politics 80 years ago.
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CandlepowerAd and marketing creatives
Branding Weirds Language
Columnist Nancy Friedman weighs in on the "verbing" of nouns.
"Verbing weirds language." Ad copywriters have made the weirding of language – and especially the verbing of nouns – a signal feature of the current brandscape. They're only the most visible of the language-weirders who are making the culture more expressive... or more vexing, depending on your point of view.
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Dept. of Word Lists
The Presidential (and Not So Presidential) Vocabulary of the Second GOP Debate
Vocabulary.com provides another "word's-eye view" of the candidates
At the second Republican presidential debate, held last night at the Reagan Presidential Library and aired on CNN, the candidates jockeyed for the attention of primary voters. There are many ways of judging their performances, but what better way than to analyze their choice of words?
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On Minnesota Public Radio, our executive editor Ben Zimmer explored the problematic history of the word refugee, now frequently heard in media accounts of the European migration crisis.
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Blog Excerpts
Promote Word Learning Within Your School!
Kids will be inspired to learn even more when they see their names "up in lights."
If you are a principal or other school leader, here are some ways you can make vocabulary learning a priority at your school by getting students excited about playing the Vocabulary Bowl.
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Topics:
Vocabulary Bowl
Here are some ideas about how you can inspire the students at your school to get involved with the Vocabulary Bowl, setting achievable goals that will provide incentives to keep them going on the road to vocabulary mastery.
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Topics:
Vocabulary Bowl
Tips & Tricks
Jumpstart Word Learning with the Vocabulary.com Classroom Starter Kit
A step-by-step guide and best practices for getting started and ensuring success
One of the benefits of Vocabulary.com is how quickly teachers can set up classes and get students learning words through our game. But now, using a handy Classroom Starter Kit, we're hoping teachers will first review best practices and some of the game's in and outs as they get started using the game.
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Topics:
Vocabulary Bowl
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