the editors

Empathy integrity

the editors
Advice for the Lit-Lorn

Dear Geist,

: empathic, or empathetic? Dictionaries differ on this.

Dear Wondering,

is an older form but perfectly good. Dictionaries present words as they are spoken and written, rather than setting out “rules.” Because language changes constantly, lexicographers have to make a lot of judgment calls, so dictionaries differ.