On Words and Up Words
Subscribe
Sign in
Home
Notes
Solutions
Archive
Leaderboard
About
OK, ok, O.K., okay, Ok! Which is it?
And what does it even mean?! A brief celebration of the most common word no one knows how to spell.
Jun 9
•
Jack Shepherd
19
Share this post
OK, ok, O.K., okay, Ok! Which is it?
onwords.substack.com
Copy link
Facebook
Email
Note
Other
10
My Favorite Cryptic Puzzle in a Long Time
Every now and then, something comes along that breaks the mold.
Apr 7
•
Jack Shepherd
10
Share this post
My Favorite Cryptic Puzzle in a Long Time
onwords.substack.com
Copy link
Facebook
Email
Note
Other
3
Wordle Starter Words for Dangerous Troublemakers
Let's see if we can make Wordlebot cry.
Mar 31
•
Jack Shepherd
22
Share this post
Wordle Starter Words for Dangerous Troublemakers
onwords.substack.com
Copy link
Facebook
Email
Note
Other
9
Most Popular
View all
Some of the Most Fun Cryptic Clues Ever Written
Dec 3, 2023
•
Jack Shepherd
16
Share this post
Some of the Most Fun Cryptic Clues Ever Written
onwords.substack.com
Copy link
Facebook
Email
Note
Other
4
"Lorem Ipsum" Has a Meaning
Jan 22, 2023
•
Jack Shepherd
16
Share this post
"Lorem Ipsum" Has a Meaning
onwords.substack.com
Copy link
Facebook
Email
Note
Other
7 Secret Portmanteaus That Have Been Hiding in Plain Sight
Aug 20, 2023
•
Jack Shepherd
48
Share this post
7 Secret Portmanteaus That Have Been Hiding in Plain Sight
onwords.substack.com
Copy link
Facebook
Email
Note
Other
8
Taking Stock of The Oxford Comma Wars
Jan 21
•
Jack Shepherd
34
Share this post
Taking Stock of The Oxford Comma Wars
onwords.substack.com
Copy link
Facebook
Email
Note
Other
12
These Common Words Are the Result of a Hilarious Misunderstanding
Feb 11
•
Jack Shepherd
25
Share this post
These Common Words Are the Result of a Hilarious Misunderstanding
onwords.substack.com
Copy link
Facebook
Email
Note
Other
5
What to Do When You’ve “Got the Morbs”
Mar 3
•
Jack Shepherd
24
Share this post
What to Do When You’ve “Got the Morbs”
onwords.substack.com
Copy link
Facebook
Email
Note
Other
3
Latest
Top
Discussions
The Bewitching Magic of the "Ass" Intensifier
An ode to the anal emphatic.
Mar 10
•
Jack Shepherd
22
Share this post
The Bewitching Magic of the "Ass" Intensifier
onwords.substack.com
Copy link
Facebook
Email
Note
Other
10
What to Do When You’ve “Got the Morbs”
“Got the morbs” shows up to delight us every couple of years, but the dictionary where it comes from is a treasure trove.
Mar 3
•
Jack Shepherd
24
Share this post
What to Do When You’ve “Got the Morbs”
onwords.substack.com
Copy link
Facebook
Email
Note
Other
3
These Common Words Are the Result of a Hilarious Misunderstanding
I’m calling them “Splittybits.” Arrest me if you want to.
Feb 11
•
Jack Shepherd
25
Share this post
These Common Words Are the Result of a Hilarious Misunderstanding
onwords.substack.com
Copy link
Facebook
Email
Note
Other
5
These Lovely "Fossil Words" Are Hiding in Plain Sight
Wend, kith, vim … shebang!
Jan 28
•
Jack Shepherd
20
Share this post
These Lovely "Fossil Words" Are Hiding in Plain Sight
onwords.substack.com
Copy link
Facebook
Email
Note
Other
12
Taking Stock of The Oxford Comma Wars
The good, the bad and the grammatically ambiguous.
Jan 21
•
Jack Shepherd
34
Share this post
Taking Stock of The Oxford Comma Wars
onwords.substack.com
Copy link
Facebook
Email
Note
Other
12
The Surprising Animals Who Say Their Own Names
Or why the Kittiwake and the Zyzzyx won’t stop talking about themselves.
Jan 7
•
Jack Shepherd
17
Share this post
The Surprising Animals Who Say Their Own Names
onwords.substack.com
Copy link
Facebook
Email
Note
Other
5
The Astonishing Origins of 6 Common Compound Words
The “Cob” in “Cobweb,” the “Hodge” in “Hodgepodge,” and more lovely old oddities that still cling to life in compounds.
Dec 17, 2023
•
Jack Shepherd
15
Share this post
The Astonishing Origins of 6 Common Compound Words
onwords.substack.com
Copy link
Facebook
Email
Note
Other
3
See all
On Words and Up Words
Word nerdery, fun language history, and word puzzles.
Subscribe
Recommendations
View all 13
Unpopular Front
John Ganz
The Bluestocking
Helen Lewis
That's Marvelous!
Josh Gondelman
Six Things
Lev Parikian
Fritinancy
Nancy Friedman
On Words and Up Words
Subscribe
About
Archive
Recommendations
Sitemap
Share this publication
On Words and Up Words
onwords.substack.com
Copy link
Facebook
Email
Note
Other
Share
Copy link
Facebook
Email
Note
Other
This site requires JavaScript to run correctly. Please
turn on JavaScript
or unblock scripts
