Recommended Reference Resources

The co-hosts of A Way with Words have written widely on word origins, slang, usage, and the pleasures of vocabulary. Their books make excellent companions to the show.

Friends with Words: Adventures in Languageland by Martha Barnette (Abrams Press, 2025). Martha’s newest work, drawing on the radio show’s decades of conversations with curious callers and her lifelong love of language. A friendly, accessible introduction to the joys of vocabulary, etymology, and the social life of words. [Amazon]

Perfect English Grammar: The Indispensable Guide to Excellent Writing and Speaking by Grant Barrett Zephyros Press, 2016. A modern, descriptive grammar reference written in plain language. Covers parts of speech, sentence structure, punctuation, mechanics, and common usage questions, with examples drawn from contemporary English. Useful for students, ESL learners, writers, editors, and anyone who wants reliable answers without finger-wagging. [Amazon]

The Official Dictionary of Unofficial English: A Crunk Omnibus for Thrillionaires and Bampots for the Ecozoic Age by Grant Barrett McGraw-Hill, 2006. A historical dictionary of English words and phrases that mainstream dictionaries have largely missed: regionalisms, occupational jargon, internet slang, hip-hop vocabulary, and global English coinages. Each entry includes dated citations from print and digital sources. [Amazon]

Hatchet Jobs and Hardball: The Oxford Dictionary of American Political Slang by Grant Barrett Oxford University Press, 2004. A scholarly slang dictionary devoted to the language of American politics: campaigning, lobbying, legislating, polling, and partisan invective. Heavily cited from newspapers, congressional records, and political memoirs. [Amazon]

Dog Days and Dandelions: A Lively Guide to the Animal Meanings Behind Everyday Words by Martha Barnette St. Martin’s Press, 2003. Hidden creatures inside ordinary English words: the bull behind bulldoze, the goat behind tragedy, the wolf behind lupine. Etymology written for general readers, with attention to Greek and Latin roots. [Amazon]

Ladyfingers & Nun’s Tummies: A Lighthearted Look at How Foods Got Their Names by Martha Barnette Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, 1997. A genial etymological tour of the kitchen and pantry, tracing how everyday foods — from pumpernickel to fettuccine Alfredo — got their names. Combines food history, cultural history, and accessible word origins. [Amazon]

A Garden of Words by Martha Barnette Crown, 1992. Word histories rooted in plants, flowers, herbs, and trees. A short, browsable guide to botanical etymology that uncovers the surprising stories inside common plant names. [Amazon]

If you can have only a small shelf of language references, start here. These titles cover American and world English, etymology, slang, regional speech, and usage.

American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (5th ed., Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2011). A general-purpose American English desk dictionary noted for clear definitions, conservative-but-current usage notes from a panel of writers and scholars, color illustrations, and unusually deep Indo-European etymologies (with an appendix of PIE roots). Audio pronunciations online. Free at ahdictionary.com.

Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary (11th ed., Merriam-Webster, 2003; with online updates). The standard American English collegiate dictionary used in most U.S. publishing house style sheets and classrooms. Concise definitions, dated first-use citations, and frequent online updates. Free online at merriam-webster.com.

Oxford English Dictionary (OED) (Oxford University Press, 1st ed. 1928; 2nd ed. 1989; online ongoing). The most comprehensive historical dictionary of English, organizing senses chronologically and supporting each with dated quotations from printed sources. Strongest on British English and older usage; somewhat lighter on Americanisms, slang, and non-British dialects. The first citation in any entry is the earliest one OED editors have so far recorded in print, not necessarily the absolute first use; full-text databases such as Google Books frequently antedate OED entries. The 20-volume print set is a museum piece; the regularly updated OED Online is the working tool. Many libraries and universities provide free access.

Shorter Oxford English Dictionary (2-vol., 6th ed., Oxford University Press, 2007). Not an abridgement of the OED but a separately edited two-volume historical dictionary. Includes many entries and senses missing from the OED; covers world Englishes, including American, more attentively than its name implies.

Dictionary of American Regional English (DARE) (Belknap Press / Harvard University Press, 1985–2013; 5 vols. plus supplements). The definitive scholarly dictionary of regional, local, and folk speech in the United States. Built from a 1960s nationwide fieldwork survey plus a vast historical citation file. Maps show distribution; entries label regions and social usage. Now available online. Other updates and new entries are posted here. Volumes: I A–C, II D–H, III I–O, IV P–Sk, V Sl–Z.

Historical Dictionary of American Slang by J. E. Lighter (Random House / Oxford University Press; vols. I A–G 1994, II H–O 1997). A scholarly historical slang dictionary on the model of the OED, with dated citations from spoken-style sources: fiction, journalism, military memoirs, song lyrics, court records. Coverage extends only through the letter O; the project is currently dormant. Where it exists, the standard reference for American slang predating roughly 1980. Grant Barrett formerly served as project editor.

Green’s Dictionary of Slang by Jonathon Green (Chambers, 2010; 3 vols.). The most comprehensive slang dictionary of English ever completed: roughly 110,000 entries with hundreds of thousands of dated, in-context citations spanning five centuries. Skews British in coverage but is genuinely global. Free online with continuous updates. Discussed on the show in this episode.

Garner’s Modern English Usage by Bryan A. Garner (5th ed., Oxford University Press, 2022). A conservative usage dictionary covering disputed points of grammar, diction, punctuation, pronunciation, and style in present-day English. Each entry rates the usage on a five-stage “language change index” and gives examples of careful and careless writing. The 5th edition adds thousands of new entries, expanded coverage of word frequency drawn from Google Ngram data, and updated guidance on contemporary usage questions. Best used together with Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary of English Usage below.

Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary of English Usage (Merriam-Webster, 1994). A descriptive usage guide built from Merriam-Webster’s historical citation files. For each disputed item, it traces the actual practice of educated writers across several centuries and the history of the rule itself. The standard counterweight to folk-rule usage advice; pairs well with Garner.

Says Who? A Kinder, Funner Usage Guide for Everyone Who Cares About Words by Anne Curzan (Crown, 2024). A modern, evidence-based usage guide by a University of Michigan English professor and longtime That’s What They Say Michigan Radio host. Distinguishes “grammandos” from “wordies,” explains how to make informed choices about words like literally, they, and impact, and treats readers as adults. [Bookshop]

A Student’s Introduction to English Grammar by Rodney Huddleston and Geoffrey K. Pullum (Cambridge University Press, 2005; 2nd ed. 2022). A working introduction to modern descriptive grammar, distilled from the much larger Cambridge Grammar of the English Language. Replaces traditional school terminology with categories that better fit how English actually works. Suitable for college students and curious general readers.

Recently published books by professional linguists, lexicographers, and language journalists — well reviewed, accessible, and a pleasure to give. Sorted newest first.

Algospeak: How Social Media Is Transforming the Future of Language by Adam Aleksic (Knopf, 2025). The TikTok-famous “etymologynerd” on how platform algorithms, content moderation, and viral culture are reshaping vocabulary, slang, and pronunciation in real time. Rigorous and very current. [Bookshop]

Bye Bye I Love You: The Story of Our First and Last Words by Michael Erard (MIT Press, 2025). A linguist-journalist investigates what we say at the beginning and end of life, drawing on developmental psycholinguistics, hospice research, and cultural history. [Bookshop]

Bitch: A History of the World’s Most Versatile Word by Karen Stollznow (Cambridge University Press, 2024). A linguist’s history of one of English’s most contested words — its medieval origins, its slurs and reclamations, and its current uses across pop culture, politics, and identity. [Bookshop]

Interesting Stories About Curious Words by Susie Dent (John Murray, 2024). Short, browsable etymologies grouped by theme — food, animals, body parts, weather, the supernatural — from one of Britain’s best-known popular lexicographers. [Bookshop]

Says Who? by Anne Curzan (Crown, 2024). See full entry in “Most-Recommended” above. Makes a particularly nice gift for a writer, editor, teacher, or recovering grammar scold.

Like, Literally, Dude: Arguing for the Good in Bad English by Valerie Fridland (Viking, 2023). A sociolinguist’s defense of the features of English that get the most complaints — like, um, vocal fry, uptalk, literally, dude. Explains the social and cognitive work each one does and how today’s pet peeves were yesterday’s innovations. [Bookshop]

Words from Hell: Unearthing the Darkest Secrets of English Etymology by Jess Zafarris (Chambers / Hachette, 2023). Cheerful etymological tour of English’s most morbid, taboo, and gruesome vocabulary — words for body parts, crimes, diseases, sins, and curses. Accessible, well-sourced, and very giftable. [Bookshop]

Talking College: Making Space for Black Language Practices in Higher Education by Anne H. Charity Hudley, Christine Mallinson, and Mary Bucholtz (Teachers College Press, 2022). A clear, practical introduction to African American Language as a fully rule-governed system, with implications for college classrooms, advising, and writing. From three leading sociolinguists.

Highly Irregular: Why Tough, Through, and Dough Don’t Rhyme — And Other Oddities of the English Language by Arika Okrent (Oxford University Press, 2021). Illustrated by Sean O’Neill. A linguist explains, with cartoons, why English spelling, grammar, and pronunciation are so weird — tracing the historical accidents (Norman invasion, printing press, prestige norms) behind them. [Bookshop]

Memory Speaks: On Losing and Reclaiming Language and Self by Julie Sedivy (Belknap / Harvard University Press, 2021). A psycholinguist’s memoir and synthesis of the science of language loss, heritage language, and bilingualism. Personal, beautifully written, and grounded in current research. [Bookshop]

Word Perfect: Etymological Entertainment for Every Day of the Year by Susie Dent (John Murray, 2020). A page-a-day calendar in book form from the lexicographer of Channel 4’s Countdown. Each day’s entry pairs a date with a relevant word and a short, sourced etymology. Excellent bedside or desk gift. [Bookshop]

Because Internet: Understanding the New Rules of Language by Gretchen McCulloch (Riverhead, 2019). An internet linguist explains how typed informal English — emoji, memes, lowercase irony, generational chat conventions — has developed its own grammar, punctuation, and politeness norms. Excellent for parents, teachers, and anyone trying to read the room online. [Bookshop]

Long Live Latin: The Pleasures of a Useless Language by Nicola Gardini (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2019). Translated by Todd Portnowitz. An Oxford literature professor’s love letter to Latin and to the writers (Catullus, Cicero, Lucretius, Tacitus, Ovid) who shaped European thought. A graceful gift for any classics-curious reader.

Wordslut: A Feminist Guide to Taking Back the English Language by Amanda Montell (Harper Wave, 2019). A pop-linguistics survey of how English encodes gender, why “women’s speech” is judged, and how slurs, gossip, and gendered insults move through a language. Lively, well-sourced, and aimed at general readers. [Bookshop]

The Prodigal Tongue: The Love–Hate Relationship Between American and British English by Lynne Murphy (Penguin, 2018). An American sociolinguist living in the UK takes apart the mutual myths the two countries tell about each other’s English. Surprising, evidence-rich, and very funny. [Bookshop]

Talk on the Wild Side: The Untameable Nature of Language by Lane Greene (The Economist Books / Profile, 2018). The Economist’s language columnist on why prescriptivist crusades, official language academies, and machine translation all keep failing in the same ways: language is a complex adaptive system, not a tidy artifact. Smart, journalistic, and accessible. [Bookshop]

Every Word Is a Bird We Teach to Sing: Encounters with the Mysteries and Meanings of Language by Daniel Tammet (Little, Brown, 2017). An autistic-savant author and polyglot meditates on language acquisition, translation, sign languages, and endangered tongues. Literary essays grounded in the science of language. [Bookshop]

Word by Word: The Secret Life of Dictionaries by Kory Stamper (Pantheon, 2017). A working lexicographer’s memoir of life inside Merriam-Webster. Walks readers through how definitions are written, how citations are gathered, and how editors handle controversial words such as marriage, nude, and bitch. Funny, humane, and full of insider craft. [Bookshop]

Checking one dictionary is rarely enough; they often disagree about the most-common spellings, pronunciations, and meanings. The same goes for style guides — check more than one.

American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language. See full entry in “Most-Recommended” above. [Amazon]

Australian National Dictionary (2nd ed., Oxford University Press, 2016; free online). Australian English on historical principles, with strong attention to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander loanwords. [Amazon]

Black Talk: Words and Phrases from the Hood to the Amen Corner by Geneva Smitherman (Touchstone, rev. ed. 2000). A short, accessible dictionary of African American English from one of the field’s most influential scholars, with a sharp introduction on the history and politics of the variety. (No free online edition; Amazon link given.)

Dictionary of American Regional English. See full entry in “Most-Recommended” above. [Amazon]

A Dictionary of Canadianisms on Historical Principles (2nd ed., online, free). The standard scholarly dictionary of words and senses originated in or particularly characteristic of Canadian English, with dated citations.

Dictionary of Caribbean English Usage by Richard Allsopp (ed.) (Oxford University Press, 1996). A regional dictionary covering the English-based vocabulary of the Anglophone Caribbean. (No free online edition; Amazon link given.)

Dictionary of Jamaican English by Frederic G. Cassidy and R. B. Le Page (University of the West Indies Press, 2nd ed. 2002). The standard historical dictionary of Jamaican English and Jamaican Creole, with citations across centuries. (No free online edition; Amazon link given.)

The Dictionary of New Zealand English: A Dictionary of New Zealandisms on Historical Principles ed. H. W. Orsman (Oxford University Press, 1997). A historical dictionary of words distinctive to New Zealand English, including borrowings from te reo Māori. [Amazon]

Dictionary of Southern Appalachian English by Michael Montgomery and Joseph S. Hall (eds.) (University of North Carolina Press, 2nd ed. 2021; originally Dictionary of Smoky Mountain English, 2004). A historical, citation-rich dictionary of the English of the southern Appalachian region, with attention to Scots-Irish, German, and Cherokee influences and to grammar as well as vocabulary. [Amazon]

Dictionary of the Scots Language (Scottish Language Dictionaries). A free online historical dictionary that combines the Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue and the Scottish National Dictionary, covering Scots from the 12th century through the 21st.

Green’s Dictionary of Slang by Jonathon Green. See full entry in “Most-Recommended” above. [Amazon]

Historical Dictionary of American Slang by J. E. Lighter. See full entry in “Most-Recommended” above. (No free online edition; Amazon link given.)

Juba to Jive: A Dictionary of African-American Slang by Clarence Major (Penguin, 1994). A historical popular dictionary of African American slang, drawing on literature, music, and oral tradition. A useful, widely cited reference. (No free online edition; Amazon link given.)

Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary. See full entry in “Most-Recommended” above. [Amazon]

Online Etymology Dictionary — A free, single-author etymological summary site by Douglas Harper. Convenient for a quick first look at a word’s recorded history. Sources are listed in a general bibliography rather than per entry, so confirm anything important against the OED or other primary sources.

OneLook — A free meta-dictionary search that queries dozens of online dictionaries at once, ranking the most reliable sources at the top. The reverse dictionary finds words from definitions and is exceptionally useful when a word is on the tip of your tongue.

Oxford American Writer’s Thesaurus (Oxford University Press, 3rd ed. 2012; bundled with macOS). A discrimination-style thesaurus that pairs synonyms with usage notes from contributors. Grant Barrett worked on the first edition; his wife on the third.

Oxford English Dictionary. See full entry in “Most-Recommended” above. [Amazon]

Safire’s Political Dictionary by William Safire (Oxford University Press, rev. ed. 2008). An encyclopedic dictionary of American political terminology, with anecdotes and quotations gathered over decades inside Washington. (No free online edition; Amazon link given.)

Webster’s Third New International Dictionary, Unabridged (Merriam-Webster, originally 1961, with subsequent updates). The principal American unabridged dictionary — comprehensive, descriptively edited, and famously controversial on its release. Available online by subscription as Merriam-Webster Unabridged. [Amazon]

Always check more than one guide. Strunk and White’s Elements of Style is fine for inspiration but should not be a final arbiter; many of its specific rules are contradicted by the better-researched works below. (For a summary of its problems, see Geoffrey Pullum’s critique and Jan Freeman’s review.)

The Associated Press Stylebook (Associated Press, 57th ed., 2024). The dominant U.S. style guide for journalism and corporate communications. Updated frequently, including for inclusive language, technology, and place names.

The Best Punctuation Book, Period by June Casagrande (Ten Speed, 2014). A practical, comparative reference that lays out the rules of punctuation across major U.S. style guides (AP, Chicago, MLA, APA, science) side by side. Useful for anyone who has to write in more than one style.

The Chicago Manual of Style (University of Chicago Press, 18th ed., 2024). The dominant U.S. style guide for book publishing and academic writing. Covers manuscript preparation, citation, grammar, usage, and design. Available by subscription online.

Dreyer’s English: An Utterly Correct Guide to Clarity and Style by Benjamin Dreyer (Random House, 2019). The longtime copy chief of Random House on punctuation, mechanics, grammar pet peeves, frequently confused words, and the practical work of preparing prose for publication. Wry and quotable, but with real reference value. [Bookshop]

Editing Fiction at Sentence Level by Louise Harnby (self-published, 2019). A working editor’s handbook for fiction editing — dialogue, point of view, free indirect speech, and more. A useful complement to general usage guides.

Garner’s Modern English Usage by Bryan A. Garner. See full entry in “Most-Recommended” above.

Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary of English Usage. See full entry in “Most-Recommended” above.

Murder Your Darlings: And Other Gentle Writing Advice from Aristotle to Zinsser by Roy Peter Clark (Little, Brown Spark, 2020). A guided tour of the great writing-craft books, distilling their advice into a single working volume.

Says Who? by Anne Curzan. See full entry in “Most-Recommended” above.

Sin and Syntax: How to Craft Wickedly Effective Prose by Constance Hale (Three Rivers Press, rev. ed. 2013). A lively craft book on word choice, sentence rhythm, voice, and style for journalists, bloggers, novelists, and copywriters.

A Student’s Introduction to English Grammar by Rodney Huddleston and Geoffrey K. Pullum. See full entry in “Most-Recommended” above.

Style: Lessons in Clarity and Grace by Joseph M. Williams and Joseph Bizup (Pearson, 12th ed., 2016). The standard rhetorically informed guide to writing clear sentences and coherent paragraphs. Aimed at college students, professionals, and editors.

Writing Tools: 55 Essential Strategies for Every Writer by Roy Peter Clark (Little, Brown Spark, rev. ed. 2021s). The Poynter Institute’s senior scholar on the craft of writing at the level of the word, sentence, and paragraph. Geared to journalists but useful for anyone who writes. [Bookshop]

Single-volume works on the history of English and American English, etymology myths, dictionary-making, swearing, dialect, and language change.

African American English: A Linguistic Introduction by Lisa J. Green (Cambridge University Press, 2002). A standard academic introduction to the structure, history, and social context of African American English. Useful for upper-level students, teachers, and general readers who want a clear overview. [Amazon]

African-American English: Structure, History, and Use by Salikoko S. Mufwene, John R. Rickford, Guy Bailey, and John Baugh (eds.) (Routledge, 1998; later reissued). An edited scholarly collection on the grammar, development, and social history of African American English, with essays by leading researchers in the field. Best for readers who want a more specialized, multi-author treatment. [Amazon]

America in So Many Words: Words That Have Shaped America by David K. Barnhart and Allan A. Metcalf (Houghton Mifflin, 1997). One word per year of American history (1555–1996), each with a short, scholarly essay on its origin and cultural significance.

The American Language by H. L. Mencken (Knopf, 4th ed. 1936 and supplements). The landmark popular work on the divergence of American English from British English. The definitive edition is the main volume plus the two supplements; Raven McDavid abridged the whole into one volume in 1963.

Between You & Me: Confessions of a Comma Queen by Mary Norris (W. W. Norton, 2015). A memoir-and-style book by The New Yorker’s longtime copy editor, on commas, hyphens, pencils, profanity, and the daily craft of magazine copyediting.

The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language by David Crystal (3rd ed., Cambridge University Press, 2018). An illustrated, comprehensive reference covering the history, structure, varieties, and uses of English worldwide.

Chasing the Sun: Dictionary-Makers and the Dictionaries They Made by Jonathon Green (Jonathan Cape, 1996). A long, opinionated narrative history of English-language lexicography from the earliest word lists through the late 20th century. For dictionary enthusiasts.

An Encyclopedia of Swearing: The Social History of Oaths, Profanity, Foul Language, and Ethnic Slurs in the English-Speaking World by Geoffrey Hughes (M. E. Sharpe, 2006). A scholarly, historical reference, not titillation. Pairs well with Mohr’s Holy Sh*t below.

Holy Sh*t: A Brief History of Swearing by Melissa Mohr (Oxford University Press, 2013). A short cultural history of bad language in the West, from Roman graffiti through medieval oaths to modern obscenity. Scholarly but very readable.

Language Myths by Laurie Bauer and Peter Trudgill (eds.) (Penguin, 1998). Twenty-one short chapters by leading linguists, each debunking a popular myth (“the media are ruining English,” “some languages are primitive,” “women talk too much”). A foundational pop-linguistics reader.

Lingo: Around Europe in Sixty Languages by Gaston Dorren (Atlantic Monthly Press, 2014). Sixty short, witty essays on sixty European languages — one quirk, one history, one borrowed word at a time. A reliable gateway to language diversity. See also Dorren’s Babel on the world’s twenty most-spoken languages.

Milestones in the History of English in America by Allen Walker Read (Publication of the American Dialect Society, Duke University Press, 2002). Collected essays including the famous papers establishing the origin of OK.

Predicting New Words: The Secrets of Their Success by Allan Metcalf (Houghton Mifflin, 2002). A working lexicographer’s “FUDGE” framework for predicting whether a brand-new word or phrase will stick around. Short and useful for journalists and word-watchers.

The Secret Life of Words: How English Became English by Henry Hitchings (Picador, 2008). A readable history of English vocabulary as a record of contact with other peoples and cultures.

Spoken Soul: The Story of Black English by John R. Rickford and Russell J. Rickford (Wiley, 2000). A father-and-son survey of African American English — its grammar, history, literary use, and social politics. A foundational popular treatment that holds up well. [Bookshop]

The Story of English in 100 Words by David Crystal (St. Martin’s, 2012). A hundred short chapters, each anchored by a single English word, sketching the history of the language from roe (5th c.) to Twittersphere. A friendly read for any word-curious reader.

Word Myths: Debunking Linguistic Urban Legends by David Wilton (Oxford University Press, 2004). Compact, well-sourced takedowns of commonly believed false etymologies (the “rule of thumb,” the “whole nine yards,” etc.). Pair with Bauer/Trudgill.

You Just Don’t Understand: Women and Men in Conversation by Deborah Tannen (Morrow / Harper, 1990; reissued). The pioneering popular work on conversational style and gender by the Georgetown sociolinguist. Still widely cited; useful for general readers in any field that depends on talk. Tannen’s That’s Not What I Meant! is a strong companion.

For children under about thirteen. For older children, adult reference works are usually fine with a little adult guidance.

The American Heritage Children’s Thesaurus (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2009). A friendly thesaurus designed for elementary and middle-school writers, with example sentences for each entry.

A Crossing of Zebras: Animal Packs in Poetry by Marjorie Maddox and Philip Huber (Wordsong, 2008). Collective nouns presented as poems, with photographs. Memorable for vocabulary-building.

Frindle by Andrew Clements (Aladdin, 1996). A fifth-grader sets out to invent a new word for the ink pen and accidentally explores how language change actually works. A modern classic.

Lemonade and Other Poems Squeezed from a Single Word by Bob Raczka (Roaring Brook, 2011). Each poem is built only from the letters of one anchor word. A wonderful invitation to wordplay for ages 7–12.

Merriam-Webster Children’s Dictionary (Merriam-Webster, 2019). Illustrated dictionary suitable for upper elementary and middle school.

Merriam-Webster’s Everyday Language Reference Set. Includes the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, the Merriam-Webster Thesaurus, and Merriam-Webster’s Vocabulary Builder. A solid all-in-one starter set for a middle-school student.

Merry-Go-Round: A Book About Nouns by Ruth Heller and the rest of the World of Language series (Putnam / Puffin, 1990; series 1987–). Beautifully illustrated parts-of-speech books for ages 6–10 that hold up over rereading.

Miss Alaineus: A Vocabulary Disaster by Debra Frasier (Harcourt, 2000). A funny picture book about misheard vocabulary words and the social repair that follows.

The OK Book by Amy Krouse Rosenthal and Little Pea (HarperCollins; Little Pea 2005, The OK Book 2007). Wordplay-driven picture books that delight beginning readers.

The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster (Random House, 1961). The greatest English-language children’s novel about wordplay, idioms, and the love of language. For independent readers age 9 and up.

Punctuation Takes a Vacation by Robin Pulver and Nouns and Verbs Have a Field Day (Holiday House, 2003; series 2003–). Cheerful primary-school picture books that teach grammar concepts through humor.

Roadwork by Sally Sutton and Construction (Candlewick, 2008). Onomatopoeia-rich picture books that teach the music of English to the very young.

Smart Feller, Fart Smeller, and Other Spoonerisms by Jon Agee and Z Goes Home (Disney–Hyperion, 2006). Inventive wordplay picture books from a master of the form.

Tap Dancing on the Roof: Sijo (Poems) by Linda Sue Park (Clarion, 2007). An introduction to the Korean sijo verse form for English-speaking children, expanding the idea of what a “poem” can be.

There’s a Frog in My Throat: 440 Animal Sayings a Little Bird Told Me by Loreen Leedy and Pat Street (Holiday House, 2003). An illustrated collection of English idioms involving animals, with explanations.

The Word Collector by Peter H. Reynolds (Orchard Books, 2018). A picture book about a boy who collects favorite words from everywhere he goes and shares them with the world. Read-aloud age 4–8.

Words Are CATegorical® by Brian P. Cleary series, beginning with A Mink, a Fink, a Skating Rink: What Is a Noun? (Millbrook Press, 1999–). Long-running, rhyming, illustrated parts-of-speech series for early readers.

Wreck This Journal by Keri Smith. A cult favorite collection of writing and art prompts for budding writers and artists.

If you like A Way with Words, you’ll like these. The list below is a starting point, not a survey; it draws partly on Lingthusiasm’s “101 Places to Get Enthusiastic About Linguistics.” For many more, see Superlinguo’s ongoing linguistics-and-language podcasts list.

A Language I Love Is — Danny Bate interviews guests — sometimes linguists, sometimes hobbyists — about a language they love and why.

A Way with Words — Yes, ours: a weekly call-in public radio show and podcast about language and culture, co-hosted by Martha Barnette and Grant Barrett. Listener questions on word origins, regional speech, family expressions, slang, grammar, and the social life of English. Listed here for completeness.

Lingthusiasm — Linguists Gretchen McCulloch (Because Internet) and Lauren Gawne explore one linguistics topic per episode — phonetics, syntax, sociolinguistics, sign languages, gesture, internet language — with rigor and humor.

En Clair — Claire Hardaker (Lancaster University) on forensic linguistics and literary detection: how text analysis cracks crimes, hoaxes, and disputed authorship.

Grammar Girl: Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing — Mignon Fogarty’s long-running short-form podcast on grammar, usage, and writing questions.

Lexitecture — Ryan Fisher and Amy Mitchell take turns presenting the etymology of one word per episode (Canadian English and Scottish English perspectives).

RFI French Podcasts. — French-language podcasts on language and culture from Radio France Internationale.

Språket (Sveriges Radio) — A long-running Swedish-language listener call-in radio program about language — Lingthusiasm’s most-cited non-English recommendation.

Un idioma sin fronteras — Radio Exterior de España podcast about the Spanish language.

Subtitle — Kavita Pillay and Patrick Cox produce documentary-style episodes about languages and the people who speak them, around the world.

Because Language — Daniel Midgley, Ben Ainslie, and Hedvig Skirgård (linguists) discuss current language news, listener questions, and a guest topic each episode. The successor to the long-running Talk the Talk.

That’s What They Say (Michigan Radio) — Anne Curzan and Rebecca Kruth on usage, words in the news, and listener questions.

The Allusionist — Helen Zaltzman’s narrative-style podcast about language and the people who use it. Strong on personal stories, naming, and identity.

The History of English Podcast — Kevin Stroud’s long-running narrative history of English from Proto-Indo-European to the present, in deep, well-researched episodes. Excellent for long drives.

The Vocal Fries — Sociolinguists Carrie Gillon and Megan Figueroa interview guests about language discrimination: accents, dialects, sign languages, indigenous languages, classrooms, and courts.

Tomayto Tomahto — Linguistics meets cognitive science, politics, history, law, and anthropology, with linguist Chrissy McManus.

Word of Mouth (BBC Radio 4) — Michael Rosen’s long-running British radio program on language, with frequent expert guests.

Words Unravelled — YouTube creators RobWords and Jess Zafarris in podcast form, focused on etymology and English oddities.

A selective starter set of YouTube channels and short-video creators who reliably produce careful, watchable content about language. Drawn in part from Lingthusiasm’s and Linguistic Discovery’s lists.

etymologynerd (Adam Aleksic) — Short-form videos on etymology and internet language. Author of Algospeak. Also on Instagram Reels.

Biblaridion — Conlanging and worldbuilding from a linguistically informed perspective.

Crash Course Linguistics — A free 16-episode introductory linguistics course for general audiences, hosted by Taylor Behnke, written by Gretchen McCulloch, Lauren Gawne, and others.

danniesbrain — Linguistics and psychology from a researcher who works on both. Also on Reels.

Dr Geoff Lindsey — A working phonetician on regional English pronunciation, the IPA, and how to hear and describe accents. Beautifully produced.

K Klein — Spelling reform, language quirks, conlanging, and language design.

landontalks — Concise, well-sourced shorts on the linguistic features of the U.S. South. Also on Reels.

Langfocus — Paul Jorgensen on the structure, history, and quirks of individual languages and language families.

linguisticdiscovery (Danny Hieber) — Short videos on writing systems, language families, and language documentation. See also linguisticdiscovery.com.

Linguriosa — Spanish linguistics in Spanish: history of Spanish, dialects, false cognates, and learning tips.

mixedlinguist — Linguist Nicole Holliday on the language of place, identity, politics, race, and technology. Also on Reels.

NativLang — Animated explainers on writing systems, language reconstruction, and historical linguistics from around the world.

Otherwords (PBS Storied) — Erica Brozovsky’s short documentary episodes on the stories behind everyday English words, sounds, and language behaviors.

RobWords — Rob Watts on English etymology, spelling, and oddities, for a general audience.

Simon Roper — Quiet, scholarly explorations of historical English pronunciation, dialect, and language change. Cult favorite among working linguists.

sunnmcheaux — Sunn m’Cheaux, Harvard’s instructor of Gullah, on language, culture, and identity. Also on Reels.

The Ling Space — A long-running educational channel covering core linguistics topics in short, accessible episodes.

the_language — Short-form Ojibwe language content combined with food, dance, and culture.

Tom Scott’s Language Files — A short, evergreen playlist of one-take explainers on linguistic concepts (the Voynich manuscript, lexical gaps, place names, and more).

jesszafarris — Quick etymological explainers from journalist and author Jess Zafarris (Words from Hell, Useless Etymology). Also on Reels.

Long-running, reliable language sites and blogs — many of them updated for fifteen or twenty years.

Affixes: The Building Blocks of English — Michael Quinion’s companion site on English prefixes, suffixes, and combining forms, organized for browsing and searching.

All Things Linguistic — Gretchen McCulloch’s long-running curation of accessible linguistics writing on the web.

Dictionary.com Blog — Editorial pieces on words in the news, slang, and trends. Best treated as journalism, not as a reference of last resort.

Fritinancy — Nancy Friedman, a professional naming consultant, on brand names, neologisms, and the trends visible in commercial naming.

Language Hat — Steve Dodson’s long-running blog on languages, literature, translation, and lexical curiosities, with a knowledgeable comment community.

Language Log — A group blog hosted by the University of Pennsylvania’s Linguistic Data Consortium, with regular posts from professional linguists (Mark Liberman, Geoffrey Pullum, Victor Mair, and many others). Strong on syntax, semantics, prescriptivism critiques, Chinese linguistics, animal communication, and the misuse of statistics in language journalism.

Linguistic Discovery — Danny Hieber’s articles on language documentation, language diversity, and writing systems, plus an extensive resource directory.

Merriam-Webster “Words at Play” — The Merriam-Webster editorial team on word histories, usage notes, and entries newly added to their dictionaries.

Mutual Intelligibility — Caroline Myrick’s newsletter and resource directory on language varieties and language equality.

OED Blog — The OED’s editors on new entries, revised entries, and the work of historical lexicography.

Separated by a Common Language — Lynne Murphy, an American linguist at the University of Sussex, on the differences between British and American English. See also her book The Prodigal Tongue.

Sentence first — Irish editor Stan Carey on writing, editing, usage, and the science of language change.

Sesquiotica — James Harbeck’s long essays on individual words, etymologies, and the sound of language.

Strong Language — A group blog by lexicographers and linguists (James Harbeck, Kory Stamper, Stan Carey, and others) on the linguistics of swearing. Adult language throughout, treated seriously.

WordOrigins.org — Dave Wilton’s site, including the “Big List” of debunked etymologies and an active expert discussion forum.

World Wide Words — Michael Quinion’s deep archive of British-English-leaning essays on word origins, idioms, and current usage. The weekly newsletter is no longer being sent and the site is no longer being updated, but the archive itself remains a valuable reference.

ACES: The Society for Editing — The professional association for editors in U.S. publishing and journalism.

American Dialect Society — Founded in 1889 at Harvard. A mixed membership of professional linguists, dialectologists, lexicographers, and serious amateurs. Publishes the journal American Speech and runs the long-running ADS-L mailing list and the annual Word of the Year vote.

Association for Computational Linguistics — The professional society for natural language processing.

Chartered Institute of Linguists (UK) — The professional body for translators, interpreters, and language professionals in the UK.

Dictionary Society of North America — A professional and scholarly society for people interested in dictionaries, lexicography, or lexicology. Publishes the annual journal Dictionaries and holds a biennial conference.

Editors Canada / Réviseurs Canada — The Canadian counterpart to ACES.

Linguistic Society of America — The principal U.S. scholarly society for the scientific study of language, founded in 1924. Members include linguists working in phonetics, phonology, syntax, semantics, historical and computational linguistics, sociolinguistics, language documentation, and language policy. Publishes the flagship journal Language, holds an annual meeting and the influential biennial Linguistic Institute summer school, advocates on behalf of endangered and minoritized languages, and produces a strong library of free public-facing explainers (“Why Major in Linguistics?,” FAQs on bilingualism, sign languages, ebonics, language and the brain, and more).

Mundolingua (Paris) — A small hands-on language museum with rotating exhibits on the world’s languages.

National Puzzlers’ League — A long-running American society devoted to wordplay, cryptic crosswords, and the invention of puzzles.

Planet Word (Washington, DC) — A free, immersive language museum in the Franklin School. Worth a special trip.