Title: Words Facts, History & Quizzes | Mental Floss
Open Graph Title: Words Facts, History & Quizzes | Mental Floss
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Description: Discover fun word facts, trivia, and surprising stories on Mental Floss—content that entertains, educates, and satisfies your curiosity.
Open Graph Description: Discover fun word facts, trivia, and surprising stories on Mental Floss—content that entertains, educates, and satisfies your curiosity.
X Description: Discover fun word facts, trivia, and surprising stories on Mental Floss—content that entertains, educates, and satisfies your curiosity.
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{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://www.mentalfloss.com/language/words/everyday-words-came-from-ancient-egypt","headline":"9 Everyday Words That Came From Ancient Egypt","description":"The ancient language of the pharaohs died out centuries ago, but bits of it remain.","author":{"@type":"Person","name":"Matt Hoffman"},"datePublished":"2026-11-12T19:00:02Z","dateModified":"2026-11-12T19:00:02Z","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://www.mentalfloss.com/language/words/everyday-words-came-from-ancient-egypt"}}
{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://www.mentalfloss.com/language/slang/slang-words-1980s-still-use-today","headline":"9 Slang Words From the 1980s We Still Use Today ","description":"The decade of MTV, shoulder pads, and big hair gave us some of our favorite and most expressive words.","author":{"@type":"Person","name":"Logan DeLoye"},"datePublished":"2026-11-09T23:00:01Z","dateModified":"2026-11-09T23:00:01Z","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://www.mentalfloss.com/language/slang/slang-words-1980s-still-use-today"}}
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{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://www.mentalfloss.com/language/words/old-west-slang-words-deserve-cowboy-comeback","headline":"8 Old West Slang Words That Deserve a Cowboy Comeback ","description":"These frontier expressions are fixin’ to ride their way back into your vocabulary!","author":{"@type":"Person","name":"Logan DeLoye"},"datePublished":"2026-10-30T20:00:00Z","dateModified":"2026-10-30T20:00:00Z","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://www.mentalfloss.com/language/words/old-west-slang-words-deserve-cowboy-comeback"}}
{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://www.mentalfloss.com/language/slang/expressions-grandparents-used-disappearing","headline":"8 Expressions Our Grandparents Used That Are Disappearing","description":"Certain phrases that were once a common part of language are fading because they just didn't age well.","author":{"@type":"Person","name":"Chelsea Thatcher"},"datePublished":"2026-10-30T16:00:01Z","dateModified":"2026-10-30T16:00:01Z","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://www.mentalfloss.com/language/slang/expressions-grandparents-used-disappearing"}}
{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://www.mentalfloss.com/language/slang/slang-phrases-jane-austen-england-still-use-today","headline":"6 Slang Phrases From Jane Austen's England We Still Use Today","description":"These six slang phrases from Jane Austen's era are still part of our vocabulary.","author":{"@type":"Person","name":"Logan DeLoye"},"datePublished":"2026-10-27T19:00:01Z","dateModified":"2026-10-27T19:00:01Z","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://www.mentalfloss.com/language/slang/slang-phrases-jane-austen-england-still-use-today"}}
{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://www.mentalfloss.com/language/slang/slang-words-1950s-use-today","headline":"6 Slang Words From the 1950s We Still Use Today","description":"Seven decades later, we're still just as familiar with these timeless '50s slang words and phrases.","author":{"@type":"Person","name":"Logan DeLoye"},"datePublished":"2026-10-26T00:00:00Z","dateModified":"2026-10-26T00:00:00Z","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://www.mentalfloss.com/language/slang/slang-words-1950s-use-today"}}
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{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://www.mentalfloss.com/culture/folklore-mythology/spiritual-meaning-hunters-moon","headline":"The Spiritual Meaning of the Hunter's Moon","description":"What does the Hunter's Moon mean for your spiritual life? Discover the history, meaning, and inner-work rituals behind October's brightest full moon.","author":{"@type":"Person","name":"Nitya Rao"},"datePublished":"2026-10-18T20:00:00Z","dateModified":"2026-10-18T20:00:00Z","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://www.mentalfloss.com/culture/folklore-mythology/spiritual-meaning-hunters-moon"}}
{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://www.mentalfloss.com/language/slang/slang-words-1960s-use-today","headline":"9 Slang Words From the 1960s We Still Use Today","description":"More than six decades later, these 1960s slang terms remain part of our vocabulary and carry nearly the same meaning they did back then.","author":{"@type":"Person","name":"Logan DeLoye"},"datePublished":"2026-10-15T19:22:06Z","dateModified":"2026-10-15T19:22:06Z","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://www.mentalfloss.com/language/slang/slang-words-1960s-use-today"}}
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{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://www.mentalfloss.com/ghost-vs-ghoul-what-s-the-difference-01m3w3am5zz6","headline":"Ghost vs. Ghoul: What's the Difference?","description":"Ghosts and ghouls are actually very different. Here's a little about the history of each of these creatures, and the etymology of their names.","author":{"@type":"Person","name":"Eden Gordon"},"datePublished":"2026-10-04T18:00:00Z","dateModified":"2026-10-04T18:00:00Z","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://www.mentalfloss.com/ghost-vs-ghoul-what-s-the-difference-01m3w3am5zz6"}}
{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://www.mentalfloss.com/language/why-do-we-say-steal-someones-thunder","headline":"Why Do We Say “Steal Someone’s Thunder”?","description":"The origin of the phrase \"steal someone's thunder\" comes from an incident involving a stolen invention on the London stage in 1709.","author":{"@type":"Person","name":"Chelsea Thatcher"},"datePublished":"2026-10-04T00:00:00Z","dateModified":"2026-10-04T00:00:00Z","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://www.mentalfloss.com/language/why-do-we-say-steal-someones-thunder"}}
{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://www.mentalfloss.com/quizzes/words-that-rhyme-with-bed","headline":"Quiz: How Many Words That Rhyme With \"Bed\" Can You Name in Two Minutes or Less?","description":"Give your rhyming skills a whirl! See how many words that rhyme with \"bed\" you can list with this quiz.","author":{"@type":"Person","name":"Eden Gordon"},"datePublished":"2026-10-03T00:00:01Z","dateModified":"2026-10-03T00:00:01Z","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://www.mentalfloss.com/quizzes/words-that-rhyme-with-bed"}}
{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://www.mentalfloss.com/language/words/words-pirates-why-not-all-same","headline":"5 Words for Pirates (And Why They’re Not Actually All The Same)","description":"These words all mean pirate, but their histories tell very different stories.","author":{"@type":"Person","name":"Paul Anthony Jones"},"datePublished":"2026-09-30T12:00:03Z","dateModified":"2026-09-30T12:00:03Z","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://www.mentalfloss.com/language/words/words-pirates-why-not-all-same"}}
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{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://www.mentalfloss.com/language/words/how-to-pronounce-pho","headline":"How Do You Pronounce 'Pho'?","description":"Ordering a bowl of pho? You might be saying it wrong. Here is how to pronounce Vietnamese pho, why tones matter, and what the name actually means.","author":{"@type":"Person","name":"Jane Alexander"},"datePublished":"2026-09-20T18:00:00Z","dateModified":"2026-09-20T18:00:00Z","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://www.mentalfloss.com/language/words/how-to-pronounce-pho"}}
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{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://www.mentalfloss.com/language/why-we-call-it-butterfly-effect","headline":"Why We Call It the \"Butterfly Effect\"—and What You Might Be Getting Wrong","description":"The \"butterfly effect\" may not mean exactly what you think. Here's the story behind the phrase's creation, along with an explanation of how it has become oversimplified in pop culture.","author":{"@type":"Person","name":"Eden Gordon"},"datePublished":"2026-10-01T16:00:01Z","dateModified":"2026-10-01T16:00:01Z","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://www.mentalfloss.com/language/why-we-call-it-butterfly-effect"}}
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{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://www.mentalfloss.com/language/names/most-popular-baby-names-year-born","headline":"The Most Popular Baby Names the Year You Were Born","description":"One boy’s name and one girl’s name claimed the top spots the year you were born.","author":{"@type":"Person","name":"Logan DeLoye"},"datePublished":"2026-09-19T22:00:01Z","dateModified":"2026-09-19T22:00:01Z","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://www.mentalfloss.com/language/names/most-popular-baby-names-year-born"}}
{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://www.mentalfloss.com/language/pronunciation/how-pronounce-qatar","headline":"How Do You Pronounce ‘Qatar’?","description":"The name \"Qatar\" for the Middle-Eastern country is pronounced very differently in Arabic than in English.","author":{"@type":"Person","name":"Chelsea Thatcher"},"datePublished":"2026-09-19T16:00:01Z","dateModified":"2026-09-19T16:00:01Z","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://www.mentalfloss.com/language/pronunciation/how-pronounce-qatar"}}
{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://www.mentalfloss.com/the-mystery-of-hildegard-von-bingen-s-secret-language-01m2nnnps7fh","headline":"The Mystery of Hildegard von Bingen’s Secret Language","description":"Visions inspired the legendary abbess Hildegard von Bingen to create the Lingua Ignota, the world's oldest documented constructed language. The purpose behind it remains a mystery.","author":{"@type":"Person","name":"Eden Gordon"},"datePublished":"2026-09-17T01:00:00Z","dateModified":"2026-09-17T01:00:00Z","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://www.mentalfloss.com/the-mystery-of-hildegard-von-bingen-s-secret-language-01m2nnnps7fh"}}
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