A Way with Words, a fun radio show and podcast about language

Advice about college essays from the winner of a top prize for children’s literature: Kelly Barnhill encourages teens to write about experiences that are uniquely their own, from a point of view that is theirs and no one else’s. Plus, why do we say that someone who’s fortunate has the luck of the Irish? And the latest edition of the Official Scrabble Dictionary will liven up ...

A new book about how animals perceive their environment reveals immense worlds beyond our own. A bee can see ultraviolet light, catfish have taste buds all over their bodies, and manatees use highly sensitive lips to examine nearby objects. Also, what’s the relationship between romantic novels and Romance languages? Plus, sometimes buying gingerbread isn’t just about the bake...

While compiling the Oxford English Dictionary, lexicographer James Murray exchanged hundreds of letters a week with authors, advisors, and volunteer researchers. A new collection online lets you eavesdrop on discussions about which words should be in the dictionary and why — including words that might offend Victorian sensibilities. Also why are some words more pleasurable to...

Nancy Gabriel from Ithaca, New York, recalls her father’s no-nonsense responses to minor injuries when she was a child: After making sure she was really all right, he’d say, It’s far enough from your heart; it won’t kill you. Other times he might ask, What’d you do, fall and step on it? Either way, those comments were always enough to distract her from crying. This is part of...

Andres from Washington Heights, New York, heard a radio report suggesting that the same anatomy that lets humans speak also makes us vulnerable to choking, and he wanted to know more. The answer lies in the physical trade-off that sets humans apart from other primates: our flatter faces, shorter oral cavities, and lower larynxes allow for extraordinarily fine articulation of ...