Whenever someone has a baby, I always ask how they came up with the baby’s name. Stories have ranged from fascinating to “just ’cause” (we liked the name). Amazing how English words coming from 26 letters of the alphabet have led to unforgettable plays, poetry, fiction, non-fiction, songs, movies, and muscials. Even a simple letter, number, and symbol can have a lot of meanings. Witness the @ symbol.

Just call me a logophile.

All Your Words
Enter a word and view Web site associations.

Dictionary of Definitions
A simple and elegant dictionary with a “Mac” look-and-feel.

The Eggcorn Database
Eggcorns are the result of people who mispronounce a word or phrase on purpose thinking it’s the way to say it. In other words, it’s an intentional malaprop, whereas malaprops are slips of the tongue. The About page explains the eggcorn (and I accidentally wrote this as “egghorn” — a malaprop) history.

Internet Anagram Server.
Use this to find and create words. Internet Anagram Server can be helpful as a brainstorming tool.

The Language Log
Wonderful blog by linguistic experts. Thanks to links from two big sites, the blog received heavy-duty hits and provided a quick tour.

Merriam-Webster Open Dictionary
While you can go to Merriam-Webster to look up definition, it also has an Open Dictionary. Here you can submit entries that aren’t in the online dictionary, and browse entries submitted by other members of the Merriam-Webster online community.

NOEMATA
Need help coming up with names for brands, products, companies? Use NOEMATA for inspiration.

Online Etymology Dictionary
Etymologies explain what words mean and how they sounded many years ago.

The Phrontistery
Phrontistery is a thinking place. The site has an online dictionary, a word list on a given topic, and the definitions to rare and unusual words. Here you find 15,500 obscure and rare words, the International House of Logorrhea, as well as many glossaries, word lists, and other English language and etymology resources.

RhymeZone
Not only do you get a list of words that rhyme your entered word, but also synonyms, definitions, homophones, similar sounding words, same consonants, and related. RhymeZone is a fabulous resource.

World Wide Words
International English from a British viewpoint. Articles, questions and answers, topical words… everything WORDS!

[tags]writing,language,Meryl K. Evans[/tags]