Language Sites on the Internet

For those of you who, like me, are heels over head in love with the English language, there are many places on the Net your love may be requited. This is not a definitive list, and it will continue to grow as I unearth more sites.

If you've found a verbivorous site you would like to share, e-mail its URL to me at richard_lederer@hotmail.com. Your favorite language haven may find its way onto this listing.

Etymology

Grammar & Usage

Language Columns/Online Magazines

Linguistic Links

Newsgroups

Puns

Reference

Dictionaries & Thesauri

Other Language Reference Links

Word Games

Word & Letter Play

Word Watching & Vocabulary Development

Etymology

• English Words Derived from Latin-Greek Origins - focusing on the Latin and Greek prefixes, roots, and suffixes used in English vocabulary.
• An Etymological Dictionary of Classical Mythology (new URL) - English words whose origins reach far back.
• Etymologically Speaking - list of some curious word origins.
• Focusing on Words - vocabulary development and etymology.
• Martha Barnette's Funwords.com - Formerly LADYFINGERS AND NUN'S TUMMIES. One of America's best etymologists shows how we truly eat our words.
• Mavens' Word of the Day - Random House Word Mavens reveal the mysteries of word and phrase origins. No longer updated, but has archives.
• Online Etymological Dictionary - This is a map of the wheel-ruts of modern English.
• Origin of Phrases - investigates how common phrases came to be.
• Pandora's Word Box Desktop Encyclopedic Word Etymology and Mythology - Mythology and etymology notes, comments and reflections.
• Ye Olde English Sayings - some romantic but dubious and some authentic phrase origins.
• Urban Legends: Language - language is itself a source of folklore. Find out some of the myths here.
• The Word Detective - a master word sleuth tracks down word and phrase origins.
• Wordorigins.org (formerly Dave Wilton's Etymology) - full of folklore and historical lessons.

Grammar & Usage

• The American Heritage® Book of English Usage - A Practical and Authoritative Guide to Contemporary English
• Apostrophe Protection Society - aims to preserve the correct use of this currently much abused punctuation mark
• Common Errors in English - avoid titters of amusement at the way you write or speak.
• Dr. NAD's Prig Page. Test standard English grammar, usage, etc. - tests of grammar, usage, spelling, punctuation, and style
• Gallery of ''Misused'' Quotation Marks - They're quotation marks, and they turn up in the strangest of places.
• The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation - Jane Straus' on-line reference guide and workbook.
• Grammar Bytes! - An interactive grammar review with definitions and exercises.
• Grammar Clinic Frame (new URL) - an on-line grammar clinic forum discussion group from England.
• Grammar and Usage for the Non-Expert - solves common problems of grammar and usage for people who want answers but not a lot of technical explanations.
• Grammar Slammer--Online Demo and Complete English Grammar Resource - the help file that goes beyond a grammar checker
• Guide to Grammar and Writing - from Prof. Charles Darling.
• Fowler, H. W. 1908. The King's English. - Project Bartleby's (Columbia University) on-line edition.
• Home for Abused Apostrophes (new URL) - a haven for little punctuation marks which have been cruelly misused by greengrocers and other uncaring notice-writers.
• Guide to Grammar and Style - by Jack Lynch
• Punctuation Made Simple (new URL) - discussion of several of the most useful punctuation marks
• That's Right Words articles - grammars information and hints
• THE SLOT: A Spot for Copy Editors - a guide to the many things that can go wrong in print.
• Strunk, William. 1918. The Elements of Style. - Project Bartleby does it again with another of the classics.
• Usage Experts Change Their Minds, Too - Anne H. Soukhanov, lexicographer extraordinaire, shows that abstract usage rules are not set in concrete.
• WebGrammar - Tips and resources.
• World Wide Words - explores some of the byways of the English language.

Language Columns/Online Magazines

• The Discouraging Word - defenders of the English language
• Mondegreens Ripped My Flesh - columnist Jon Carroll on mondegreens (misunderstood phrases and lyrics)
• Take Our Word for It - discover the origins of English words via this weekly webzine.
• Verbatim Magazine - popular magazine devoted to all aspects of the English language.
• The Vocabula Review - examines the state of the English language; published on the third Tuesday of each month.
• Word for Word - Articles on words and phrases by Terry O'Connor from his newspaper and Internet columns.
• Word F u g i t i v e s - an interactive column by The Atlantic Unbound's Barbara Wallraff.
• Words & Stuff - a fortnightly column on words and wordplay by Jed Hartman.

Linguistic Links

• Ask a Linguist - a place where anyone interested in language or linguistics can ask a question and get the response of a panel of professional linguists.
• The Eclectic Company - Language & Linguistics - many terrific linguistic links from John Lawler at the U of Mich.
• Linguistic Phenomena/Devices - a list of some of the lesser known linguistic phenomena and devices used in English writing. You actually know what most of these are, you just didn't know what they were called.
• The LINGUIST List - a comprehensive list of linguistic riches.
• Word Ways: The Journal of Recreational Linguistics - explores the many facets of logology.

Newsgroups

• alt.anagrams - a Newsgroup for anagram aficionados.
• alt.humor.puns - a Newsgroup for punsters.
• alt.usage.english - a Newsgroup for an ongoing discussion on language issues.
• sci.lang - a Newsgroup for the scientific study of language(s).
• Etymology Club - for those "addicted to language structure and semantics, neologisms, word games, language evolution, or good old-fashioned etymology."

Puns

• International Save The Puns Foundation - protects the endangered pun.
• Preserve the Pun Society - an organization whose members believe a good pun is like a good steak -- a rare medium well done.
• David Gross Entertainment -- Punmaster™ Comics - graphic humor.
• Pun-A-Day
• Puns Galore - Puns, puns, and more puns
• Pun of the Day

Reference

Dictionaries & Thesauri

• Bibliomania - you can find fully searchable copies of your favourite language reference books, including dictionaries, books of quotations, synonyms, thesaurus, and literary sources.
• Dictionary and Glossary List - 2468774 words in 629 dictionaries indexed.
• Dictionary of American Regional English - documents the variety of English in the U.S.A.
• Dictionary.com - dictionaries, thesauri, tools, games, translators, etc.
• Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable - Giving the Derivation, Source, or Origin of Common Phrases, Allusions, and Words That Have a Tale to Tell.
• An English Homophone Dictionary - each homophonic set is listed in alphabetical order.
• I Love Languages (formerly known as The Human-Languages Page) - language related Internet resources.
• List of Dictionaries - a comprehensive site of dictionaries of many languages from the Univerität of Paderborn, Germany.
• Model Language Index - select from Anglo-Saxon Computerese to Shorthand.
• Merriam-Webster - resources from the distinguished dictionary and reference book company.
• The Omnificent English Dictionary In Limerick Form - THIRTY THOUSAND (!!!) limericks and more pouring in every day
• Plumb Design Visual Thesaurus - an exploration of sense relationships within the English language.
• Research-It! - search dictionaries, thesauri, the Bible, and many other tools.
• THE RhymeZone Rhyming Dictionary - a nice tool that allows not only exact rhymes, but definitions, synonyms, homophones, and semantic siblings.
• Strange & Unusual Dictionaries
• Urban Dictionary - urban and rap slang.
• A Web of On-line Dictionaries - indexes on-line dictionaries, thesauri, and such like containing words and phrases
• Webopedia - online dictionary and search engine for computer and Internet technology
• The Wordsmyth English Dictionary-Thesaurus - an integrated English Dictionary and Thesaurus.
• Your Dictionary.com - Access to more than 1500 online dictionaries representing 230 languages. Some dictionaries are in specialized fields; some offer translation.

Other Language Reference Links

• Acronym Dictionaries - a list of acronym glossaries and acronym dictionaries.
• American Slanguages - choose a city and find out how to talk like the locals.
• American English - The UK Web Library American/British translation.
• AmeriSpeak - Expressions of our American ancestors.
• Ask Oxford - to learn about the English language, just ask the Oxford experts.
• The Book of Cliches - a compilation of common phrases, euphemisms, and rationales for times of trouble.
• Canadian Aptonym Centre - aptronyms are names appropriate to their work.
• Cliche Finder - 3,300 clichés indexed.
• Database of American Proprietary Eponyms - general term used to describe from what or whom something derived its name.
• English Through the Ages - a quick tour of the changes in the English language.
• HEL Website - History of the English Language Home Page.
• Internet Slang Translator - Confused by net slang? Can't read a text message? Translate internet slang and acronyms.
• A Language Museum - curious and interesting uses of the English language.
• fonetiks - online language laboratory
• Phobia List - It's enough to give you hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia (fear of long words). Features a reverse phobia list where you can look things up the thing feared.
• Phrase Finder (new URL) - does for phrases what a thesaurus does for words.
• Purdue University On-line Writing Lab - handouts from Purdue University.
• Slang City - American slang.
• Using English - resource for teachers of English is schools and ESL programs.

Word Games

• Etymologic - 10 randomly selected etymology (word origin) or word definition puzzles to solve
• HoadWorks Puzzles - Home Page - a repository of the word games featured on the author's Wordly-l listserver.
• Puzzability - an interesting variety of weekly puzzles by former editors for Games magazine.
• Michael Curl's Puzzles and WordPlay - Tom Swifties, anagrams, trivia, puzzles,etc.
• Syndicate.com - recreational and educational word puzzles.
• Vocabulary.com - vocabulary puzzles and games.
• Where's THAT From? - an etymology game.

Word and Letter Play

Anagrams

• The Anagram Engine - powerful free anagram generator and anagram solver.
• AnagramGenius - the self-described definitive anagram site.
• Anagram.com - Formerly Anagram Insanity. Type in a word or phrase and the computer will find anagrams for your selection.
• Anagrams.net - hundreds of anagrams, that will raise a few smiles and eyebrows.
• I, Rearrangement Servant - discover the wisdom of anagrams.
• Andy's anagram solver - multilingual anagrams in English, French, and Dutch.
• Today's ANI-GRAM - Animated anagram humor.

Oxymora

• Oxymorons Home Page - Oxymoron = a sharp dullness or a foolish wise...a self contradicting phrase.

Palindromes

• The Palindromist Magazine - a journal For people who WRITE - and read - palindromes
• Palindrome List - a huge list.
• Zo's Palindromes - a site with more than 3,000 palindromes.

Other Wordplay

• Anguish Languish - the versatile and flexible English language.
• Barrel Full of Words - a collection of over 2,000 English words and phrases in humorous context.
• Chiasmus.com - a reversal in the order of words in two otherwise parallel phrases.
• A Collection of Word Oddities and Trivia
• Fun-with-words.com - dedicated to amusing quirks, peculiarities, and oddities of the English language: wordplay.
• The Heteronym Homepage - words that are spelled identically but have different meanings when pronounced differently.
• Ladle Rat Rotten Hut - listen to the story of Ladle Rat Rotten Hut.
• Mixed Metaphors - to delight and amaze you Collected by friends and survivors of the Calvin College English Department.
• triplehom.com - a site devoted to triple homophones.
• A.Word.A.Day Home Page - the music and magic of words.
• Word Play - sites that feature fun with words.
• The Word Weenie - puns, parodies, bloopers and other language laughs
• The Word Wizard - takes you on a magical tour across language.

Word Watching & Vocabulary Development

• 100 Most Often Mispronounced Words - "mispronunciation" is among them.
• Banished Words List - a tongue-in-cheek banishment list from Lake Superior State University. Submit your nomination!
• Banned for Life - Media clichés.
• BuzzWhack - Dedicated to de-mystifying buzzwords.
• The Collective Noun Page - You've heard of a herd of antelope, but have you ever encountered a blessing of unicorns or a brace of orthodontists?
• Double-Tongued Word Wrester - records undocumented or under-documented words from the fringes of English.
• The Hartman Reader Page - Things Useful To The Educated Reader or to Those Wishing to Become More So.
• The Meaning of Liff - the world is littererd with thousands of spare words which spend their time doing nothing but loafing about on signposts pointing at places.
• OED Word of the Day - Although accessing the Oxford English Dictionary is by subscription only, the Word of the Day feature is free.
• Pseudodictionary - become part of an actual online dictionary! slang, webspeak, colloquialisms
• Rhetorical Figures - From alliteration to zeugma, and everything in between, all the figures of speech are here.
• 60s Slang - slang from the flower children era, plus a link to surfer slang.
• Society for the Preservation of English Language and Literature (SPELL) - promotes the proper use of the English language
• SlangSite.com - is a dictionary of slang, webspeak, made up words, and colloquialisms.
• The Source.com Slang Dictionary - words actively used by mainstream teens today.
• Spelling it Right - Help, exercises and advice
• Learning Vocabulary Can Be Fun - vocabulary games for K-12 and ESL students.
• The Phrontistery - Word lists on various topics
• The Word Police - As a certified Word Police officer, you will be entitled to issue Grammar Citations when you see or hear crimes against the language.
• Word Quests - A rich source of links to English words that are derived from Latin and Greek sources.
• Words in English: NEW WORDS - Neologisms and novel uses of words in English collected by members of a Linguistics class at Rice University.
• Word Spy - devoted to lexpionage, the sleuthing of new words and phrases.
• Words, Words, and More Words - Words for writing, words for speaking, word games, old words, trendy words, debating words, negotiating words.
• worthless word for the day (new URL) - a new "obscure, abstruse and/or recondite word" defined each day.

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