Word Matters

Latest Episodes:

The Making of Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, Twelfth Edition May 06, 2026

Show notes

While the famous Merriam-Webster.com online dictionary is constantly being updated, creating a new edition of our Collegiate Dictionary print book is a different matter. We'd been updating it regularly since its publication in 2003, but it wasn't until fall of 2025 that we released a brand-new edition, different from all those that preceded it. Here's the story of the making of Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, Twelfth Edition.

Hosted by Emily Brewster and Peter Sokolowski.

With many thanks to New England Public Media for the use of their studios, and deep appreciation for our producer, John Voci.

Transcript available [here](https://www.merriam-webster.com/word-matters-podcast/an-introduction-to-merriam-websters-collegiate-dictionary-twelfth-edition).

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

An Interview with John Morse, Part 3 Jul 15, 2025

Show notes

Part three of a three-part interview with John Morse, former president and publisher of Merriam-Webster

Hosted by Emily Brewster and Peter Sokolowski.

Produced in collaboration with New England Public Media, with much gratitude to John Voci.

Transcript available here.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

An Interview with John Morse, Part 2 Jul 11, 2025

Show notes

Part two of a three-part interview with John Morse, former president and publisher of Merriam-Webster

Hosted by Emily Brewster and Peter Sokolowski.

Produced in collaboration with New England Public Media, with much gratitude to John Voci.

Transcript available here.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

An Interview with John Morse, Part 1 Jul 10, 2025

Show notes

Part one of a three-part interview with John Morse, former president and publisher of Merriam-Webster

Hosted by Emily Brewster and Peter Sokolowski.

Produced in collaboration with New England Public Media, with much gratitude to John Voci.

Transcript available here.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Episode 100: How did we get here? Aug 03, 2022

Show notes

It’s our 100th episode, which seemed like a good occasion to answer a listener question of a more personal type: how did we—that is, we three editors—get here?

Hosted by Emily Brewster, Ammon Shea, and Peter Sokolowski.

Produced in collaboration with New England Public Media.

Transcript available here.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Do we repeat ourselves? Very well then, we repeat ourselves. Jul 27, 2022

Show notes

A listener questions a tautology in one of our definitions and starts us off on a discussion of all types of repetition and redundancy.

Hosted by Emily Brewster, Ammon Shea, and Peter Sokolowski.

Produced in collaboration with New England Public Media.

Transcript available here.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Hackneyed Phrases, Both Old and New Jul 20, 2022

Show notes

Writing advice often includes hackneyed phrases we’re supposed to avoid. The phrases we're warned against today are different from the ones of yesteryear. We'll explore both.

Hosted by Emily Brewster, Ammon Shea, and Peter Sokolowski.

Produced in collaboration with New England Public Media.

Transcript available here.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Tips for Frenchifying Your French Jul 13, 2022

Show notes

Whether you're hoping to improve your high school French or just order that croissant with more confidence, we have some tips for you.

Hosted by Emily Brewster, Ammon Shea, and Peter Sokolowski.

Produced in collaboration with New England Public Media.

Transcript available here.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Eggcorns, Mondegreens, and Spoonerisms—Oh My! Jul 06, 2022

Show notes

A discussion of various kinds of slips of the tongue and errors of the ear.

Hosted by Emily Brewster, Ammon Shea, and Peter Sokolowski.

Produced in collaboration with New England Public Media.

Transcript available here.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Traveling Words: Luggage, Baggage, and the Recombobulation Station Jun 29, 2022

Show notes

In the disconcerting event that your travels by air deliver you, but not what you've packed, to your destination, you may find yourself filing a lost luggage claim, or a lost baggage claim—it could be either. Instead of ruminating over the awful circumstances, we turn our attention to the words themselves; we also revisit the recombobulation area we first discussed in episode 86.

Hosted by Emily Brewster, Ammon Shea, and Peter Sokolowski.

Produced in collaboration with New England Public Media.

Transcript available here.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.