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This feed lists the reference's pages by date, from the newest to the earliest. Each entry has a short note on how it can help and a topic tag that makes it easy to find similar pages.
We publish a page when we are ready to stand behind every statement in it, and not before.
Home page
The four directions of the reference, a quick word check and answers about what the project does.
Why it helps: Helps you see straight away where to go with your question.
Reference information
A glossary of fifteen terms: from loanword and calque to officialese, pleonasm and the kinds of dictionaries.
Why it helps: Helps you name what is getting in the way of a text and see which dictionary holds the answer.
Russian alternatives to loanwords (in Russian)
A page at an old address, in Russian: a table of common Russian loanwords with possible native alternatives and notes.
Why it helps: Suggests when a swap makes reading easier and when a word is better left as it is.
Collections
Three reading paths: office words, confusable pairs and words with an interesting history.
Why it helps: Lets you move through the reference for a specific task without getting lost in the sections.
Archive
All pages of the reference by date and topic, with a note about the old address.
Why it helps: Helps you find a page if you only remember roughly when it was published.
Reference sections
A map of four themes: loanwords, confusable words, clear writing, and dictionaries and checking.
Why it helps: Shows how the reference is organised and what it already contains.
Answers to questions
Twelve short answers on word meanings, loanwords, officialese and the style of correspondence.
Why it helps: Quickly settles the most common doubts without long reading.
How to rewrite a message more clearly
A practical article with preparation, seven steps, common mistakes and a checklist, plus the article catalogue.
Why it helps: Gives a ready-made sequence of steps for any work text.
See also
- Collections
Reading paths: words from office emails, pairs people mix up, and words with an interesting history.
- Archive
A full list of the reference's pages with dates and topic tags, plus a note about the old address.
- Guides
How to rewrite a work message more clearly: preparation, steps with sample examples, mistakes and a checklist. Plus the article catalogue.
- Sections
Four themes: loanwords, confusable words, clear writing, and dictionaries and checking a word.
Sources
- Current general, spelling and etymological dictionaries of English
Explanations are given in general terms and reflect the material as of the date it was prepared. Language changes slowly, but it does change: if our advice differs from a current dictionary, go with the dictionary. For official documents, follow the style rules adopted where you work.