Celebrate amazing words, curious language, and the joy of expanding your vocabulary.
Dictionary Day celebrates the birthday of Noah Webster, the American lexicographer who helped shape the way we spell and understand words today.
Noah Webster spent more than 25 years creating his famous American dictionary and even learned many languages while researching word origins!
by Andrew Clements
What happens when one student decides a pen should be called a frindle instead? This beloved novel shows how words can spread, evolve, and even become part of everyday language. It’s a funny, thought-provoking story that celebrates creativity, persistence, and the surprising power of language.
Think about something that doesn’t have the perfect word yet. Maybe it’s the feeling of finding money in a coat pocket, sunlight sparkling on water, or the excitement before opening a favorite book. Could your word describe an emotion, an object, an action, or something completely unexpected? The best new words solve a problemโor simply make people smile!
One person opens a dictionary and chooses an unusual word. Read the word aloudโbut not the definition!
Everyone else invents a believable definition. Then read the real definition and see who guessed correctly.
After each round, vote for:
By the end of the game, everyone will have discovered a few brand-new vocabulary words!
Every adventure has another path to follow. Choose a trail and see where your curiosity leads!
English has borrowed thousands of words from other languages. Discover familiar words that traveled from Spanish, French, Japanese, Arabic, German, and many others before finding a place in the English dictionary.
Wonder Challenge:
Look up the word emoji. What language did English borrow it fromโand what did the original parts of the word mean?
Meet Noah Webster, the teacher and writer who helped standardize American spelling and created one of the most influential dictionaries in American history.
Wonder Challenge:
Compare color / colour and center / centre. Which spellings are usually American, and which are usually British? Can you discover why Noah Webster wanted American spelling to be different?
Explore etymology, the study of word origins, and discover how words can travel between languagesโor completely change their meaningsโover hundreds of years.
Wonder Challenge:
Investigate the word goodbye. It began as a much longer expression. Can you discover what people originally said and how it gradually became the word we use today?
Would you rather...
Print & Plan
Keep todayโs book pick, writing prompt, family activity, and discussion ideas together in one colorful overview.
Every comment is reviewed before it's published.
Be kind. Be helpful.
Be inspiring! ๐
I have a soft spot for words that feel a little magical… ethereal, serendipity, whimsical, and glimmer are a few favorites. Do proper nouns count? If so, Camelot might sneak onto the list too. It instantly makes me think of legends, castles, and stories waiting to be told. โจ
Every National Day is a starting point for curiosity! Read, write, play, and explore together as ordinary days lead to unexpected discoveries.
Follow curiosity, not the calendar. Choose the adventures that spark your interest and enjoy them whenever the time is right. โจ
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