Donald Trump
Entertainment
Joe Biden
Editor's Picks
Facebook
Language
The very tool we use to communicate urban legends to each other — language — is itself a source of folklore. A number of the words and phrases in use today have interesting origins that have almost become obscured in the mists of time. Equally, our sense of romance leads us to invent unusual origins for commonplace words rather than be satisfied with their mundane beginnings.
A golfer putting at the Hazeltine National Golf Course during the 2002 PGA Championship.

Golf: Gentlemen Only, Ladies Forbidden?

Written by:
Barbara Mikkelson David Mikkelson
Feb. 19, 2002 Is the word 'golf' an acronym formed from 'gentlemen only; ladies forbidden'?
Read More
Wood, Furniture, Table

1895 Exam

Written by:
David Mikkelson
Oct. 23, 2000 Does an 1895 graduation examination for public school students demonstrate a shocking decline in ...
Read More
The Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade has split the country into joyous supporters and furious dissenters.

MIT Researcher: Respectful Conversations About Abortion Lead To Positive Outcomes

Written by:
The Conversation
Aug. 10, 2022 Kate W. Isaacs, a lecturer at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, says thoughtful talks betwe ...
Read More
Snopestionary: What is Confirmation Bias?

Snopestionary: What Is Confirmation Bias?

Written by:
Madison Dapcevich
July 27, 2022 Just because we want something to be true doesn’t make it so.
Read More
Dictionary definition of twerk

Was 'Twerk' Added to the Oxford English Dictionary?

Written by:
Nur Ibrahim
July 26, 2022 The word is older than we think.
Read More
Sponsored content can be as innocent as an ad for your local restaurant, or as deceptive as an article or TV segment where the provider fails to disclose that they received money for the space.

Snopestionary: What Is Sponsored Content?

Written by:
Jordan Liles
July 19, 2022 Also called "native advertising," it can be as innocent as a restaurant ad on your newsfeed, or ...
Read More
New COVID-19 strain centaurus

Why Are People Calling COVID-19 Variant BA.2.75 'Centaurus'?

Written by:
Dan Evon
July 14, 2022 If enough people use a name to refer to something, who's to say that isn't what it's called?
Read More
Snopestionary: The 'Strawman' Logical Fallacy

Snopestionary: The 'Straw Man' Logical Fallacy

Written by:
Madison Dapcevich
June 14, 2022 Logical fallacies are behind many of the harmful misunderstandings, rumors, and conspiracy theor ...
Read More
red herring logical fallacy

Snopestionary: The 'Red Herring' Logical Fallacy

Written by:
Bethania Palma
June 10, 2022 This logical fallacy is sometimes referred to as the fallacy of distraction.
Read More
slippery slope fallacy

Snopestionary: The 'Slippery Slope' Logical Fallacy

Written by:
Madison Dapcevich
May 31, 2022 Logical fallacies are behind many of the harmful misunderstandings, rumors, and conspiracy theor ...
Read More
Person, Human, Silhouette

How Snopes Monitors 'Virtue Signaling' on Social Media

Written by:
Jessica Lee
Jan. 31, 2022 June 1 marks the beginning of Pride Month — and likely a flood of posts recognizing the celebrat ...
Read More
Person, Human, Face

Snopestionary: What is a Spoonerism?

Written by:
Dan Evon
Jan. 23, 2022 This merbal vistake gets its name from a long-serving don at Oxford University.
Read More
Person, Human, Finger

Glossary: Off the Record

Written by:
Doreen Marchionni
Jan. 22, 2022 This journalistic phrase is so common pretty much everyone uses it now.
Read More
Computer Keyboard, Electronics, Computer

Snopesing 101: How Snopes Fact Checks Racial Propaganda

Written by:
Nur Ibrahim
Jan. 15, 2022 And how you, the reader, can do the same ...
Read More
banished words

The 2022 'Banished Words List' Has Just Been Released

Written by:
Madison Dapcevich
Jan. 9, 2022 Spoiler alert: Most everyone is sick of hearing “no worries.”
Read More
disinformation misinformation

Snopestionary: Misinformation vs. Disinformation

Written by:
Snopes Staff
Dec. 26, 2021 Both words refer to false information, but one type is more insidious than the other.
Read More
Person, Human, Finger

Did People Refer to Gaslighting During the Era of 'I Love Lucy'?

Written by:
Dan MacGuill
Dec. 23, 2021 A stray piece of dialogue from the 2021 biopic "Being the Ricardos" set off a fascinating online ...
Read More
merriam webster dictionary

Merriam-Webster's 2021 Word of the Year is 'Vaccine'

Written by:
Nur Ibrahim
Nov. 29, 2021 The dictionary also highlighted “perseverance,” “insurrection,” “woke,” among others.
Read More
merriam webster dictionary

Merriam-Webster Adds 455 New Words to the Dictionary

Written by:
Nur Ibrahim
Oct. 30, 2021 They range from “dad bod” to “fluffernutter.”
Read More
Graphics, Art, Floral Design

Snopestionary: What Is a False Premise?

Written by:
Bond Huberman
Sept. 24, 2021 All it takes is one false premise to make a logical argument unsound.
Read More