As publishers and AI companies fight over rights, @emckean worries that dictionaries and researchers could get caught in the crossfire.
That's just one of her surprising observations in our chat this week on the Grammar Girl podcast.
Check it out:
LISTEN: https://pod.link/173429229/episode/5798aa39f005490a651f649c21f1cd34
READ: https://grammar-girl.simplecast.com/episodes/ai-dictionaries/transcript
WATCH: https://youtu.be/tRFswaLxr6I
AI isn’t always the cheaper option.
In my interview with lexicographer and Wordnik founder Erin McKean (@emckean), we talked about what AI means for dictionaries, and she pointed out that “Lexicographers are way cheaper than AI engineers. By an order of magnitude.”
Sure, LLMs can sometimes speed things up. But tuning, deploying, and maintaining those models isn’t always more efficient than hiring humans.
Subscribe now to get the whole episode tomorrow.
Samantha Enslen hires writers, editors, and designers, so I am especially interested in what she has to say about AI and how it's changing work.
Check out the whole conversation:
Watch: https://youtu.be/Hs7kV26AQNo
Read: https://grammar-girl.simplecast.com/episodes/ai-future/transcript
If you're a fiction writer or just find it interesting to hear how stories work at a mechanical level, you'll love my interview today with editor Joshua Essoe.
We talked about pacing, with examples from some of his favorite movies: "Fight Club" and "Memento."
Watch: https://youtu.be/PuYkqpaaA4U
Read: https://grammar-girl.simplecast.com/episodes/essoe-2/transcript
Listen: https://apple.co/3FR9A5Y
You're probably better than you think you are at English!
Check out the full interview to see what other surprising advice long-time language writer @junecasagrande has for you.
WATCH: https://youtu.be/hJ9uZ8LYUDc
READ: https://grammar-girl.simplecast.com/episodes/june/transcript
Wishing you an OK day on March 23 — National OK Day! 
Back in 1839, the Boston Morning Post published the first known instance of "OK" (writing it "o.k."). It was an abbreviation for the joking misspelling of "all correct": "oll korrekt."
Check out the whole story of how "OK" survived when similar funny abbreviations faded away:
Read: https://grammar-girl.simplecast.com/episodes/1800s-tea/transcript
Watch: https://youtu.be/wSEJcbPlYB8
Do you have a favorite reference book?
One of my favorites is "The Best Punctuation Book, Period," by @junecasagrande, so I was thrilled when she joined me for today's Grammar Girl podcast! 
When I asked her what the most difficult punctuation mark is, her first answer surprised me — she said the period. No kidding!
Check out the whole discussion:
WATCH: https://youtu.be/hJ9uZ8LYUDc
READ: https://grammar-girl.simplecast.com/episodes/june/transcript
One of my favorite stories is how we got the word "OK" from wise-cracking 19th century journalists and a presidential election campaign.
The first segment of the podcast this week tells that story!
And then, keeping with the era, we look at some fun Victorian tea idioms. Scandal water, anyone?
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/why-we-say-ok-how-tea-shaped-english-slang-poetry-winner/id173429229?i=1000699618500
YouTube: https://youtu.be/wSEJcbPlYB8
Transcript: https://grammar-girl.simplecast.com/episodes/1800s-tea/transcript
I've seen people change how they think about Wikipedia for a few years and had a fascinating discussion this week with Jonathan Rick about Wikipedia's rules on what can be included in an entry — and what can't.
If you're curious about how Wikipedia works behind the scenes or want to edit entries, you'll love this episode!
Watch: https://youtu.be/KIbCSMUdWug
Read: https://grammar-girl.simplecast.com/episodes/wikipedia/transcript
When I read that 21% of American adults are illiterate, I was shocked. And then I wondered what that means, and what we can do about it.
Kate Crist is a literacy expert who has some answers and advice. I hope you learn as much from this Grammar Girl episode as I did — and feel empowered instead of helpless!
Links to the full episode are in the first comment.
Watch: https://youtu.be/mLwMZ3sf2cM
Read: https://grammar-girl.simplecast.com/episodes/crist/transcript
If you're excited about the Oscars, you'll love this week's interview with linguist Andrew Cheng!
We talked about the language of "Dune," "Anora," "Emilia Pérez," "Conclave," and more — and how linguistic realism is making inroads in Hollywood. (I haven't even seen most of the films, and I still loved this conversation about language in the movies!)
#GrammarGirl #Linguistics #Oscars
Read: https://grammar-girl.simplecast.com/episodes/oscars/transcript
Watch: https://youtu.be/m8RQYqtKjeo
Ever wonder why Americans spell "canceled" with one L but still spell "cancellation" with two? In this week's podcast, we explore how spelling rules, stress patterns, and historical quirks explain this inconsistency.
And then, @glennf looks at the history of "fine" print — from typesetting in smoky print shops to its modern use in hiding legal loopholes.
Read: https://grammar-girl.simplecast.com/episodes/cancellation/transcript
Watch: https://youtu.be/Ak2A_m4Z47o
Struggling to focus these days? Can't seem to get your writing done?
If so, @maryrobinette is here to help!
This week, we talked about overcoming barriers to writing. I'm sure you'll find at least one tip you can use right away to get back on track! 
Ghostwriting is a really interesting possibility for writers looking for work.
This week, I talked with Dan Gerstein, founder of Gotham Ghostwriters, about the ghostwriting industry — how writers can break in to ghostwriting, what types of projects are available, and how much top ghostwriters earn.
Plus, we look at the ethics of ghostwriting and how the industry is changing.
Watch: https://youtu.be/WY53pWcm070
Read: https://grammar-girl.simplecast.com/episodes/gerstein/transcript
Today is the Ides of February! You'll hear about the Ides of March next month, but on the Roman calendar, every month had an ides.
You can hear the whole story in this classic Grammar Girl podcast: https://buff.ly/4gcVEA3
Do you love word games? Wordle? Connections? Crosswords?
If so, you'll love my new interview with Lex Friedman about his daily word site, Lex.games.
Lex creates nine different word games each day that are free to play, and we talked about how he keeps his games fresh, what players love and hate, and how he made his games accessible.
Read: https://grammar-girl.simplecast.com/episodes/lex/transcript
Watch: https://youtu.be/aMjIrs-WdVw
Do you love to solve word puzzles? Do you get excited when you figure out what someone's personalized license plate means?
If so, you'll love today's Grammar Girl episode about gramograms—word puzzles like "IOU" and "K9." Here's one that's less obvious from Rob Meyerson and Dan Misdea's new book "AB@C":
K-S N D J-Q-Z
Read: https://grammar-girl.simplecast.com/episodes/a-b-at-c/transcript
Watch: https://youtu.be/Ef-_NT7jw3k
Ever wondered why we repeat words? For example, why do we say we're reading a "book-book" when we're reading a paper book?
In this week's #GrammarGirl episode, we’re looking at "reduplication" — why we say things like "salad-salad," "book-book," and "job-job" to emphasize the real, original, or most serious version of something.
Read: https://grammar-girl.simplecast.com/episodes/book-book/transcript
Watch: https://youtu.be/0R0uifWhaSo
Have you ever wondered what it takes to write a memoir? How you could turn your life into a story people would want to read?
Well, if so, this episode is for you! Wendy Dale, author of "The Memoir Engineering System," has all kinds of pro tips and interesting insights that will have you dreaming of penning your own story.
Read: https://grammar-girl.simplecast.com/episodes/dale/transcript
Watch: https://youtu.be/ZQCRBYduQWc
Do you LOVE @grammartable and the whole concept of the grammar table where she answers people's burning questions?
Well, now there's a whole movie about her experiences!
I got to talk with Ellen and her documentarian husband, Brandt Johnson, about making the movie and what they learned about humanity out on the streets.
Give it a listen while you finish your Sunday chores!
Read: https://grammar-girl.simplecast.com/episodes/jovin-movie/transcript
Listen: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/rebel-with-a-clause-the-movie-with/id173429229?i=1000684225399
Watch: https://youtu.be/4rvVrnAlx1o
