Dear Geist,

Is it generally known that our dictionary bigwigs aren’t the only word-lovers who bring in new words and turf old ones? I just found this new word, nubber, which the Scrabble people elevated to the most prestigious list of main stops! Any more information?

—Scott in Cyberspace

Dear Scott,

There are many organizations who watch words and name their own favourites. Scrabble is one of them, and it has loads of information about its games. Several dictionaries also keep track of people’s spoken words and present the results. Some of them invite people to “vote” for their favourite candidate. There are stories of excellent words waiting around for years before being chosen; others never make the grade.

Nubber was admitted to the Scrabble list in 2018. You can while away some fun wordy hours by browsing its lifespan and family, starting with the humble “nub.”

—The Editors