Frequently Asked Questions

Do you have questions about the YourDictionary Website or its services? Or about language in general? Well, we have answers! The chances are, though, your question has been asked already by another curious reader or two, so we have prepared this FAQ to get answers to the most common questions to you even faster than we have in the past.

Here are some things that you, our users, most frequently write to us about. Peruse the questions below to find a link to the answers to your question. We have divided the questions into Technical Questions about the technical aspects of the site and subscriptions and Substantive Questions about language-related matters (such as "What's the third English word that ends with -gry?"). If you don't find what you need here, e-mail us.

Technical Questions

1. Why does my Word of the Day look like gibberish?
2. How do I unsubscribe from Word of the Day?
3. Do you offer a Word of the Day in language X?
4. How do I suggest a Word of the Day?
5. I saw this word-which language is it from?
6. Something is wrong with an entry or a word is missing from a dictionary.
7. I'm not sure how to read an entry in your dictionary.
8. How can I find a word that starts with xx-, contains -xx-, or ends on -xx?
9. How can I add YourDictionary search to my browser?
10. How can I add YourDictionary search to my web page?
11. How can I add YourDictionary search to my iGoogle page?
12. I'm not sure how to read a pronunciation in the dictionary.

Questions about Language

For more answers to your questions about language, grammar and spelling please check out our extensive library of reference articles.

1. What does phonetics mean?
2. When should I use insure vs. ensure?
3. What is invented spelling?
4. What are the fourteen punctuation marks in English?
5. What are objects in English grammar?
6. What are the 100 most often mispronounced words in English?
7. What are the 100 most often misspelled words in English?
8. What are the five most common grammatical errors?
9. What's the third English word that ends in -gry?
10. What's the longest place name in the world?
11. What's the longest word in the English language?
12. What does "antidisestablishmentarianism" mean?
13. How do I say [a common phrase] in language X?
14. I need a boy's/girl's name in language X.
15. What does this name mean?
16. I have something in mind but can't think of the word for it.
17. Is it "judgment" or "judgement"?
18. Are "imply" and "infer" synonyms?
19. What is the difference between "its" and "it's?"
20. What is the difference between "may" and "can?"
21. What is the difference between "there" and "their?"
22. What is onomatopoeia?
23. What is the difference between an epithet and an epitaph?
24. What is an eponym?
25. What is an acronym?
26. What is a synonym and a homonym?
27. What is a thesaurus?
28. What is PIE?
29. What does the suffix -stan mean in words like "Afghanistan?"
30. What does 'kumbaya' in the song, "Kumbaya, my Lord" mean?
31. What is the difference between sit/set and lie/lay?
32. What is the difference between "affect" and "effect"?
33. Will I go to jail if I end a sentence with a preposition?
34. When should I say "X and I" and when "X and me?"