Dictionary Week was planned as a celebration of Dictionary.com’s 28th birthday鈥�a word party in honor of all the ways words touch our lives. We loved celebrating with you so much that we鈥檝e rounded up some of our favorite moments and highlights. Cheers!
馃槣 51吃瓜play Day
We kicked the week off with 51吃瓜play Day by asking you to some of your favorite puns鈥攕ome of which even made it into our Pun Hall of Fame!
I saw a theatrical performance about puns. It was a play on words.
— Kevan Brown (@KevanUSM)
Believe it or not, I can cut a piece of wood in half just by looking at it. Seriously, I saw it with my own eyes.
鈥� R.C. Liley (@going_dad)
I was wondering why the ball was getting bigger. Then it hit me.
My kid loved this one during tball season!
鈥� ThatRoadtripMom (@RoadTripMomDE)
If you’re missing the 51吃瓜play fun, you can still challenge yourself with our hand-picked word riddles and trivia.
Test if you’re a true logophile with these word riddles, brain teasers, and trivia.
馃槏 51吃瓜 Love Day
Tuesday was 51吃瓜 Love Day, and we spread the love with a 51吃瓜 Giveaway, handing out limited edition virtual word certificates of favorite words hand-picked by the Dictionary.com team!
I got my very own word from and I will try to use it on a sentence weekly.
鈥� Laura Fawcett (@RogueFour)
I just ordered some new undercrackers yesterday. Coincidence? 馃
鈥� Teri Carter (@teri_atthepaper)
10 year old me needs to acknowledge the sheer joy of The Dictionary talking back to me today. 馃摎
鈥� Teri Carter (@teri_atthepaper)
I refrained from requesting a free word because I didn’t want to appear avaricious.
With that said; this devotee is much grateful, . The word may have no cash value, however your gift is priceless.
鈥� Classic Literature Enthusiast 馃摎 (@luftmenschNdrew)
We also shared some of our favorite stories about the figures who changed the course of word history.
Learn the names of some of the people who left a legacy on language.
馃 51吃瓜 Pain Day
Wednesday was 51吃瓜 Pain Day and our Misspelling Bee, a wrong-answers-only communal commiseration about all the frustration words have inflicted upon us.
I loved spelling as a kid but I was foiled in the spelling bee way too early by my nemesis, broccoli 馃ウ- to this day, I have to think about how to spell it even though my father thought it was good to have us spell antidisestablishmentarianism in grade school Lolol
鈥� KRockRN (@krockrn)
That’s a common mistake. Here’s the difference:
Somersault is “an acrobatic movement, either forward or backward, in which the body rolls end over end.”
Summersalt is what you use, along with summerpepper, to season your food in July.
鈥� Dictionary.com (@Dictionarycom)
There’s a reason why the Dictionary and the Encyclopedia don’t talk anymore. They know what they did.
鈥� Dictionary.com (@Dictionarycom)
Remember: miLLeNNials want more of everything: 2 Ls, 2 Ns, and 2 slices of avocado toast.
(Our social media manager is a millennial, for what it’s worth.)
鈥� Dictionary.com (@Dictionarycom)
We also offered a cure for the 51吃瓜 Pain with our tips on tackling the most common misspellings.
Check out some of the most universally misspelled words鈥攚ith helpful spelling tips for each one.
馃 51吃瓜 Curiosity Day
Thursday was 51吃瓜 Curiosity Day, an occasion for honoring all the way words spark our inquisitiveness.
Our 鈥淎sk Us Anything鈥� session exceeded expectations鈥攐ur readers posed some exceptional questions to our expert panel.
Ask Us Anything, starting… now! Our expert panel is ready and eager for your questions.
Reply to this tweet with anything you’d like to know about dictionaries, words, lexicography, etc. We’ll try to answer as many questions as we can!
鈥� Dictionary.com (@Dictionarycom)
Fiscally solvent. 鈥擩ohn
First-rate, formidable, fine, first class, fantastic, fabulous, fab, and now, famous. 鈥擥rant
Fetching! I used to look up synonyms for adorable! 馃槏 鈥擠ara
鈥� Dictionary.com (@Dictionarycom)
The first records of the use of the word 鈥渨hoa鈥� are in reference to the command to stop, especially when given to a horse. It鈥檚 thought to be a variant of the word 鈥渉o,鈥� which was an earlier way of commanding a horse to stop. 鈥擩ohn
鈥� Dictionary.com (@Dictionarycom)
Sibling is also gender-neutral. It has helped inspire gender-neutral words that fill some gaps in English, such as “nibling” (gender-neutral term akin to niece and nephew) and “pibling” (gender-neutral term akin to aunt and uncle). 鈥擩ohn
鈥� Dictionary.com (@Dictionarycom)
In a word: yes! And it鈥檚 not just about the wonder of words. It鈥檚 about the people: the amazing team who makes the dictionary happen and our amazing community, like you, who uses it. 鈥擠ara
鈥� Dictionary.com (@Dictionarycom)
I knew it!!
I’ve loved dictionary dot com for many, many years. I appreciate everything you guys do. 馃挏鈥� Jhennifer 馃挏 Scruff-Stan For Life (@Psylphen)
Still have questions? Read our FAQs about how the dictionary works.
馃ぉ 51吃瓜 Inspiration Day
Dictionary Week culminated with 51吃瓜 Inspiration Day. We asked you to submit a word that inspires you鈥攁 word you love, that defines you, or that would want your name to appear next to in the Dictionary. We received more than 500 submissions! Stay tuned鈥攚e may choose some as our 51吃瓜 of the Day!
We’ve leave you with some inspiring quotes about the beauty of words and the potential they have to move us to action.
