Episodes

  • The history of the octothorpe. Sir Fragalot and sentence fragments. Dribzle.

    The history of the octothorpe. Sir Fragalot and sentence fragments. Dribzle.
    Mar 3 2026
    1164. This week, we look at the origin of the octothorpe — also known as the pound sign or hashtag — and why it has so many different names. Then, we look at sentence fragments and the secret of "Sir Fragalot" to help you avoid common writing mistakes. A video of the man who invented snurfing. Free writing course on LinkedIn Learning. (Happy National Grammar Day!) The octothorpe segment was written by Karen Lunde. 🔗 Join the Grammar Girl Patreon. 🔗 Share your familect recording in Speakpipe or by leaving a voicemail at 833-214-GIRL (833-214-4475) 🔗 Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing courses. 🔗 Subscribe to the newsletter. 🔗 Take our advertising survey. 🔗 Get the edited transcript. 🔗 Get Grammar Girl books. | HOST: Mignon Fogarty | Grammar Girl is part of the Quick and Dirty Tips podcast network. Audio Engineer: Dan Feierabend, Maram ElnagheebDirector of Podcast: Holly HutchingsAdvertising Operations Specialist: Morgan ChristiansonMarketing and Video: Nat Hoopes, Rebekah SebastianPodcast Associate: Maram Elnagheeb | Theme music by Catherine Rannus. | Grammar Girl Social Media: YouTube. TikTok. Facebook. Threads. Instagram. LinkedIn. Mastodon. Bluesky.
    Show More Show Less
    17 mins
  • How 'be like' took over the world, with Sali Tagliamonte

    How 'be like' took over the world, with Sali Tagliamonte
    Feb 26 2026
    1163. This week, we look at what it’s like to be a "language detective" with Sali Tagliamonte and how she used her own teenagers as a research lab. We look at a 25-year study on how the phrase "be like" became a permanent fixture of English, why the word "very" is suddenly making a comeback with younger generations, and what happens to our language when we spend all day talking to AI. Sali Tagliamonte, University of Toronto 🔗 Join the Grammar Girl Patreon. Thank you to the members of the Order of the Aardvark at Patreon: Linda CoxLaurel PaulRuss Skinner 🔗 Share your familect recording in Speakpipe or by leaving a voicemail at 833-214-GIRL (833-214-4475) 🔗 Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing courses. 🔗 Subscribe to the newsletter. 🔗 Take our advertising survey. 🔗 Get the edited transcript. 🔗 Get Grammar Girl books. | HOST: Mignon Fogarty | Grammar Girl is part of the Quick and Dirty Tips podcast network. Audio Engineer: Dan Feierabend, Maram ElnagheebDirector of Podcast: Holly HutchingsAdvertising Operations Specialist: Morgan ChristiansonMarketing and Video: Nat Hoopes, Rebekah SebastianPodcast Associate: Maram Elnagheeb | Theme music by Catherine Rannus. | Grammar Girl Social Media: YouTube. TikTok. Facebook. Threads. Instagram. LinkedIn. Mastodon. Bluesky. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
    Show More Show Less
    26 mins
  • Why 'Tonka' sounds big and 'bitty' sounds small. Why you CAN start a sentence with 'because.'

    Why 'Tonka' sounds big and 'bitty' sounds small. Why you CAN start a sentence with 'because.'
    Feb 24 2026

    1162. This week, we look at why some names just "feel right" while others don't and how vowels like "ee" create associations with smallness and sweetness while back vowels like "ah" sound bigger and more serious. Then, we look at dependent clauses and when it's OK to start a sentence with "because."

    The baby names segment was written by Valerie Fridland.

    🔗 Join the Grammar Girl Patreon.

    🔗 Share your familect recording in Speakpipe or by leaving a voicemail at 833-214-GIRL (833-214-4475)

    🔗 Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing courses.

    🔗 Subscribe to the newsletter.

    🔗 Take our advertising survey.

    🔗 Get the edited transcript.

    🔗 Get Grammar Girl books.

    | HOST: Mignon Fogarty

    | Grammar Girl is part of the Quick and Dirty Tips podcast network.

    • Audio Engineer: Dan Feierabend, Maram Elnagheeb
    • Director of Podcast: Holly Hutchings
    • Advertising Operations Specialist: Morgan Christianson
    • Marketing and Video: Nat Hoopes, Rebekah Sebastian
    • Podcast Associate: Maram Elnagheeb

    | Theme music by Catherine Rannus.

    | Grammar Girl Social Media: YouTube. TikTok. Facebook. Threads. Instagram. LinkedIn. Mastodon. Bluesky.


    Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
    Show More Show Less
    13 mins
  • WHY WE USE ALL CAPS TO SHOUT, with Glenn Fleishman

    WHY WE USE ALL CAPS TO SHOUT, with Glenn Fleishman
    Feb 19 2026

    1161. Today, we look at the history of writing in all-uppercase letters. Tech historian Glenn Fleishman explains how capitals transitioned from a sign of importance to a convention for shouting. Plus, we discuss his research tracking the association between yelling and capital letters back to 1856 and why early newspapers used all capitals to make tiny type seem larger.

    Glenn Fleishman's website.

    🔗 Join the Grammar Girl Patreon.

    🔗 Share your familect recording in Speakpipe or by leaving a voicemail at 833-214-GIRL (833-214-4475)

    🔗 Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing courses.

    🔗 Subscribe to the newsletter.

    🔗 Take our advertising survey.

    🔗 Get the edited transcript.

    🔗 Get Grammar Girl books.

    | HOST: Mignon Fogarty

    | Grammar Girl is part of the Quick and Dirty Tips podcast network.

    • Audio Engineer: Dan Feierabend, Maram Elnagheeb
    • Director of Podcast: Holly Hutchings
    • Advertising Operations Specialist: Morgan Christianson
    • Marketing and Video: Nat Hoopes, Rebekah Sebastian
    • Podcast Associate: Maram Elnagheeb

    | Theme music by Catherine Rannus.

    | Grammar Girl Social Media: YouTube. TikTok. Facebook. Threads. Instagram. LinkedIn. Mastodon. Bluesky.
    Show More Show Less
    Not Yet Known
  • Battle of the moguls. 'Awhile' versus 'a while.' Crittador.

    Battle of the moguls. 'Awhile' versus 'a while.' Crittador.
    Feb 17 2026

    1160. This week, we look at why "mogul" means both a ski bump and a powerful person. Then, we tackle when to use "awhile" versus "a while," with a trick to help you remember.

    🔗 Join the Grammar Girl Patreon.

    🔗 Share your familect recording in Speakpipe or by leaving a voicemail at 833-214-GIRL (833-214-4475)

    🔗 Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing courses.

    🔗 Subscribe to the newsletter.

    🔗 Take our advertising survey.

    🔗 Get the edited transcript.

    🔗 Get Grammar Girl books.

    | HOST: Mignon Fogarty

    | Grammar Girl is part of the Quick and Dirty Tips podcast network.

    • Audio Engineer: Dan Feierabend, Maram Elnagheeb
    • Director of Podcast: Holly Hutchings
    • Advertising Operations Specialist: Morgan Christianson
    • Marketing and Video: Nat Hoopes, Rebekah Sebastian
    • Podcast Associate: Maram Elnagheeb

    | Theme music by Catherine Rannus.

    | Grammar Girl Social Media: YouTube. TikTok. Facebook. Threads. Instagram. LinkedIn. Mastodon. Bluesky.


    Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
    Show More Show Less
    13 mins
  • Writing for ‘civic clarity’ (plus, the power of short sentences), with Roy Peter Clark

    Writing for ‘civic clarity’ (plus, the power of short sentences), with Roy Peter Clark
    Feb 12 2026

    1159. This week, we look at "civic clarity" with writing instructor Roy Peter Clark in a newly edited version of our 2020 conversation. We look at the ethical code of clear communication and why "civic clarity" is more important now than ever. We also discuss the strategy of "writing short" for social media and how to navigate the difficult process of cutting a draft to find your focus.

    Poynter Institute

    Roy Peter Clark's Facebook

    🔗 Join the Grammar Girl Patreon.

    🔗 Share your familect recording in Speakpipe or by leaving a voicemail at 833-214-GIRL (833-214-4475)

    🔗 Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing courses.

    🔗 Subscribe to the newsletter.

    🔗 Take our advertising survey.

    🔗 Get the edited transcript.

    🔗 Get Grammar Girl books.

    | HOST: Mignon Fogarty

    | Grammar Girl is part of the Quick and Dirty Tips podcast network.

    • Audio Engineer: Dan Feierabend, Maram Elnagheeb
    • Director of Podcast: Holly Hutchings
    • Advertising Operations Specialist: Morgan Christianson
    • Marketing and Video: Nat Hoopes, Rebekah Sebastian
    • Podcast Associate: Maram Elnagheeb

    | Theme music by Catherine Rannus.

    | Grammar Girl Social Media: YouTube. TikTok. Facebook. Threads. Instagram. LinkedIn. Mastodon. Bluesky.


    Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
    Show More Show Less
    23 mins
  • How bored tourists invented an Olympic sport. Centigrade or Celsius? Piqua

    How bored tourists invented an Olympic sport. Centigrade or Celsius? Piqua
    Feb 10 2026

    1158. This week, we go full Winter Olympics, tracing the origin of "ski," "luge," "toboggan," and more. Then, we look at why we say "Celsius" instead of "centigrade."

    🔗 Join the Grammar Girl Patreon.

    🔗 Share your familect recording in Speakpipe or by leaving a voicemail at 833-214-GIRL (833-214-4475)

    🔗 Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing courses.

    🔗 Subscribe to the newsletter.

    🔗 Take our advertising survey.

    🔗 Get the edited transcript.

    🔗 Get Grammar Girl books.

    | HOST: Mignon Fogarty

    | Grammar Girl is part of the Quick and Dirty Tips podcast network.

    • Audio Engineer: Dan Feierabend, Maram Elnagheeb
    • Director of Podcast: Holly Hutchings
    • Advertising Operations Specialist: Morgan Christianson
    • Marketing and Video: Nat Hoopes, Rebekah Sebastian
    • Podcast Associate: Maram Elnagheeb

    | Theme music by Catherine Rannus.

    | Grammar Girl Social Media: YouTube. TikTok. Facebook. Threads. Instagram. LinkedIn. Mastodon. Bluesky.


    Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
    Show More Show Less
    13 mins
  • Why AI loves em dashes, with Sean Goedecke

    Why AI loves em dashes, with Sean Goedecke
    Feb 5 2026

    1157. This week, we look at AI em dashes with Sean Goedecke, software engineer for GitHub. We talk about why artificial intelligence models frequently use em dashes and words like "delve," and how training on public domain books from the late 1800s may have influenced these patterns. We also look at the role of human feedback in shaping "AI style."

    www.SeanGoedecke.com

    🔗 Join the Grammar Girl Patreon.

    🔗 Share your familect recording in Speakpipe or by leaving a voicemail at 833-214-GIRL (833-214-4475)

    🔗 Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing courses.

    🔗 Subscribe to the newsletter.

    🔗 Take our advertising survey.

    🔗 Get the edited transcript.

    🔗 Get Grammar Girl books.

    | HOST: Mignon Fogarty

    | Grammar Girl is part of the Quick and Dirty Tips podcast network.

    • Audio Engineer: Dan Feierabend
    • Director of Podcast: Holly Hutchings
    • Advertising Operations Specialist: Morgan Christianson
    • Marketing and Video: Nat Hoopes, Rebekah Sebastian
    • Podcast Associate: Maram Elnagheeb

    | Theme music by Catherine Rannus.

    | Grammar Girl Social Media: YouTube. TikTok. Facebook. Threads. Instagram. LinkedIn. Mastodon. Bluesky.


    Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
    Show More Show Less
    23 mins