Links

These web sites offer a range of stimulating articles and activities relating to words and language.

English Language Reference

• AskOxford.com

  An excellent language site full of articles on the origins of words; tips on writing, grammar, and style; words and quotes of the day; quizzes and much more from Oxford University Press.

• Fun with Words

  From Rink Works, a free entertainment site.

• World Wide Words

  Michael Quinion, a freelance writer, regularly updates this web site, which is a collection of articles on words and their use in current English and in history.

Word games

• Etymologic

  Calling itself the "toughest word game on the web," in this game you're presented with randomly selected word origin or word definition puzzles to solve.

• AskOxford word games

  For crosswords and more.

Sites for teachers

• Teachit

  Online library of free English teaching resources.

• British Library Learning Resources

  Explore the "Dictionaries and Meaning" section - leaf through the history of English dictionaries, from the 1500s to the present day, and examine how words change their meaning over time.

• How Do You Mean?

  Multimedia resources and games for Key Stage 3 level.

The OED

• Dictionary facts

  Discover all sorts of facts about the OED—from the amount of ink used to print the 20-volume second edition to the longest entry in the Dictionary.

• Dictionary contributors

  Find out what J.R.R. Tolkien did for a living before he wrote the Lord of the Rings trilogy.