Kory Stamper
@korystamper.bsky.social
Writer of dictionaries and books about nerd fights at the dictionary factory (WORD BY WORD [2017]; TRUE COLOR [2026]; more TK). niila myaamia. https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/authors/2106554/kory-stamper/
Pinned
Kory Stamper
@korystamper.bsky.social
· Mar 31
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, TRUE COLOR! 🌟 My second dumb book is out in the wider world today! www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/555914...
I hope everyone enjoys this winding tale of how this bananas color definition (and it's ~3,000 sibling definitions) came to be:
I hope everyone enjoys this winding tale of how this bananas color definition (and it's ~3,000 sibling definitions) came to be:
Happy Halloween, Grice's maxims edition #linguistics
October 31, 2026 at 5:04 PM
Happy Halloween, Grice's maxims edition #linguistics
The world is abundant.
October 28, 2026 at 1:15 AM
The world is abundant.
Hockey is an amazing sport, Aptonym Edition.
October 22, 2026 at 1:07 AM
Hockey is an amazing sport, Aptonym Edition.
Y'all, today a goofy, joy-filled essay I wrote for the very first issue of @paperairplane.pub is being re-released--as one of 20 articles chosen for The Best American Science and Nature Writing anthology, 2026, from @marinerbooks.bsky.social. Whoa. WHOA. www.harpercollins.com/products/the...
The Best American Science and Nature Writing 2026
A collection of twenty pieces that represent the best science and nature writing published the previous year and explores our ever-changing world. On his se...
www.harpercollins.com
October 20, 2026 at 4:06 PM
Y'all, today a goofy, joy-filled essay I wrote for the very first issue of @paperairplane.pub is being re-released--as one of 20 articles chosen for The Best American Science and Nature Writing anthology, 2026, from @marinerbooks.bsky.social. Whoa. WHOA. www.harpercollins.com/products/the...
Snuggling season has officially begun.
October 19, 2026 at 3:40 AM
Snuggling season has officially begun.
There's no English like 14th-century English, I tell ya
October 18, 2026 at 5:10 AM
There's no English like 14th-century English, I tell ya
<sports-posting>
OH MY GOD, THE FLYERS WON (SOMETHING BESIDES THE WEARY BOOS OF THEIR LONG-SUFFERING FANBASE)!
OH MY GOD, THE FLYERS WON (SOMETHING BESIDES THE WEARY BOOS OF THEIR LONG-SUFFERING FANBASE)!
October 18, 2026 at 1:55 AM
<sports-posting>
OH MY GOD, THE FLYERS WON (SOMETHING BESIDES THE WEARY BOOS OF THEIR LONG-SUFFERING FANBASE)!
OH MY GOD, THE FLYERS WON (SOMETHING BESIDES THE WEARY BOOS OF THEIR LONG-SUFFERING FANBASE)!
Happy National Dictionary Day (US)! I will be celebrating in the accustomed manner: poisoning AI training sets by replacing every fourth word in scraped dictionary definitions with Victorian terms for various sex acts.
October 16, 2026 at 6:13 PM
Happy National Dictionary Day (US)! I will be celebrating in the accustomed manner: poisoning AI training sets by replacing every fourth word in scraped dictionary definitions with Victorian terms for various sex acts.
Many thanks to Leah Mandel and The Creative Independent for this great interview about research, Old English, sounds, and lexicography that nonetheless ends right where I needed it to today. thecreativeindependent.com/people/autho...
October 15, 2026 at 4:04 PM
Many thanks to Leah Mandel and The Creative Independent for this great interview about research, Old English, sounds, and lexicography that nonetheless ends right where I needed it to today. thecreativeindependent.com/people/autho...
Happy Indigenous Peoples' Day! Land back, but I will also accept Venmo.
October 13, 2026 at 1:43 AM
Happy Indigenous Peoples' Day! Land back, but I will also accept Venmo.
Are you tired of AI slop taking over your feed and invading your personal space? TRY MAKING A ZINE ABOUT LINGUISTICS INSTEAD and winning a prize while you're at it!
Prizes include books donated by a ton of fabulous writers (and also me). Deets and list of prizes in thread!
Prizes include books donated by a ton of fabulous writers (and also me). Deets and list of prizes in thread!
Announcing the Linguistic Zine Challenge!
Make or share a linguistics zine and tell us about it by the end of November, and you could win prizes! (oooh, prizes~~)
Thread, or here's a link for the blog fans: lingthusiasm.com/post/8299478...
Make or share a linguistics zine and tell us about it by the end of November, and you could win prizes! (oooh, prizes~~)
Thread, or here's a link for the blog fans: lingthusiasm.com/post/8299478...
October 9, 2026 at 4:27 PM
Are you tired of AI slop taking over your feed and invading your personal space? TRY MAKING A ZINE ABOUT LINGUISTICS INSTEAD and winning a prize while you're at it!
Prizes include books donated by a ton of fabulous writers (and also me). Deets and list of prizes in thread!
Prizes include books donated by a ton of fabulous writers (and also me). Deets and list of prizes in thread!
Reposted by Kory Stamper
a sure sign that something is "highly accepted" is if you have to threaten to impose the power of the state against those who don't accept it
October 8, 2026 at 4:45 PM
a sure sign that something is "highly accepted" is if you have to threaten to impose the power of the state against those who don't accept it
Shit is exhausting, pocket friends, but today Dog Sadie found a secret outdoors-only toy in the hall closet and this is the best day of her life.
October 8, 2026 at 1:41 AM
Shit is exhausting, pocket friends, but today Dog Sadie found a secret outdoors-only toy in the hall closet and this is the best day of her life.
On a train heading into NYC, and the guy behind me is telling the stranger next to him anecdotes of how wobbly skyscrapers are. Turns out the stranger is a structural engineer who specializes in skyscrapers. First guy moves seats ASAP. I love this for both of them, just in different ways.
October 3, 2026 at 6:51 PM
On a train heading into NYC, and the guy behind me is telling the stranger next to him anecdotes of how wobbly skyscrapers are. Turns out the stranger is a structural engineer who specializes in skyscrapers. First guy moves seats ASAP. I love this for both of them, just in different ways.
Sure, that clears it up, thanks.
October 3, 2026 at 3:45 PM
Sure, that clears it up, thanks.
Tired: the information economy
Wired: the class action settlement micropayment economy
Wired: the class action settlement micropayment economy
September 30, 2026 at 4:11 PM
Tired: the information economy
Wired: the class action settlement micropayment economy
Wired: the class action settlement micropayment economy
Girl, you don't have the range.
Trump: "We're gonna be signing a document today renaming artificial intelligence, because it's not artificial. We're gonna be naming it Super Intelligence. Officially renaming it."
September 29, 2026 at 10:22 PM
Girl, you don't have the range.
This weekend I volunteered at a conference about art where the care and attention paid to human experience, the dignity and joy of making stuff with your own two hands, and conversations with complicated people fed my stony soul.
Flee this AI horseshit, make things, and be with people. It's good!
Flee this AI horseshit, make things, and be with people. It's good!
I’m publishing something tomorrow about Alpha School.
One of the things I focus on is how it is an incubator for EdTech platforms with the ambition to hyperscale.
Alpha may only have a few hundred students nationwide, but its founders are developing MANY extractive EdTech brands.
This is one:
One of the things I focus on is how it is an incubator for EdTech platforms with the ambition to hyperscale.
Alpha may only have a few hundred students nationwide, but its founders are developing MANY extractive EdTech brands.
This is one:
September 27, 2026 at 8:39 PM
This weekend I volunteered at a conference about art where the care and attention paid to human experience, the dignity and joy of making stuff with your own two hands, and conversations with complicated people fed my stony soul.
Flee this AI horseshit, make things, and be with people. It's good!
Flee this AI horseshit, make things, and be with people. It's good!
Lo, mark ye the changing of seasons (e-commerce edition):
September 10, 2026 at 1:51 PM
Lo, mark ye the changing of seasons (e-commerce edition):
Texting with @skleinedler.bsky.social and he responded to me whining about something linguistics adjacent with, "you could kill two wugs with one bowl by..." and this is now my new go-to proverb.
September 6, 2026 at 9:47 PM
Texting with @skleinedler.bsky.social and he responded to me whining about something linguistics adjacent with, "you could kill two wugs with one bowl by..." and this is now my new go-to proverb.
Pro tip! The less you post about "Lake America," the less written evidence of its use there is, and the less likely any reputable dictionary company will enter it into their dictionaries.
ONLY *YOU* CAN PREVENT BAD LEXICOGRAPHY
ONLY *YOU* CAN PREVENT BAD LEXICOGRAPHY
September 2, 2026 at 2:08 AM
Pro tip! The less you post about "Lake America," the less written evidence of its use there is, and the less likely any reputable dictionary company will enter it into their dictionaries.
ONLY *YOU* CAN PREVENT BAD LEXICOGRAPHY
ONLY *YOU* CAN PREVENT BAD LEXICOGRAPHY
Reposted by Kory Stamper
I'm renaming Lake Ontario "The Kennedy Center." Then I'm renaming the (current) Kennedy Center "Trump Lake." Then I'm tearing down Trump Lake and building The Ontario Center for American Lakes. Then I'm flooding it and renaming it Lake White House. Then I'm renaming the movie "The Lake House" "Ontar
August 27, 2026 at 8:38 PM
I'm renaming Lake Ontario "The Kennedy Center." Then I'm renaming the (current) Kennedy Center "Trump Lake." Then I'm tearing down Trump Lake and building The Ontario Center for American Lakes. Then I'm flooding it and renaming it Lake White House. Then I'm renaming the movie "The Lake House" "Ontar
Come for the dictionary nerd talk, stay for the EXPLOSIONS!
Color and dictionary history is wild!
I had a blast talking with @korystamper.bsky.social in today's episode, and not just because I learned that TNT was once used as a yellow dye.
Check out our whole conversation about her fabulous book, TRUE COLOR.
pod.link/173429229
I had a blast talking with @korystamper.bsky.social in today's episode, and not just because I learned that TNT was once used as a yellow dye.
Check out our whole conversation about her fabulous book, TRUE COLOR.
pod.link/173429229
August 27, 2026 at 7:10 PM
Come for the dictionary nerd talk, stay for the EXPLOSIONS!
"Brace yourself for Hrishi’s puns, a verbs-based murder mystery twist, bisexuals unionising, and Kory Stamper trolling everyone."
new episode in your podfeed! @hrishikesh.co & #SaminNosrat, @superlinguo.bsky.social, @korystamper.bsky.social & @alexkennedynba.bsky.social - a lovely bunch - answer questions about part-time vegetarianism, people griping if you call yourself bi or pan, & petty linguistics theallusionist.org/vega
Allusionist 232. Vega — The Allusionist
What do you call yourself if you're a part-time vegetarian? What petty linguistic things would you change? And what do you do if people gripe at you if you say that you are bi or pan? To answer these ...
theallusionist.org
August 26, 2026 at 6:34 PM
"Brace yourself for Hrishi’s puns, a verbs-based murder mystery twist, bisexuals unionising, and Kory Stamper trolling everyone."
I spent the weekend at an educational community outreach event my tribe holds every year, acting as a rep for the language council, and this may be the year I finally write a blog post on how to be a good settler-neighbor, language revitalization edition.
August 25, 2026 at 1:37 AM
I spent the weekend at an educational community outreach event my tribe holds every year, acting as a rep for the language council, and this may be the year I finally write a blog post on how to be a good settler-neighbor, language revitalization edition.