Sometimes English spelling seems designed to bamboozle. How did we end up with all these inconsistencies, quirky flourishes, and spellings that bear no resemblance to pronunciation? In search of an answer, the editors dig into the history of English spelling - including attempts to reform it - and hint at the secret work they do for spelling bees today. Plus, we check in with the adorable contestants of the Great Australian Spelling Bee TV series, two years on; and Adrik Kemp collects favourite words from the Sydney Story Factory. Subscribe now on iTunes, Soundcloud, Stitcher, or your favourite podcast app to get the latest episode delivered direct to your inbox. Listen now

In politics, we can always point to the slipperiness of language. In this episode, the dictionary editors remember iconic Australian political slogans, and consider new words like "fake news" and "antifa"; we're on the hunt for favourite words at the Antidote Festival; and John di Domenico, the world's no. 1 Donald Trump impersonator, takes us inside the language of the 45th American president. Subscribe now on iTunes, Soundcloud, Stitcher, or your favourite podcast app to get the latest episode delivered direct to your inbox. Listen now

Every language plays by its own rules. So how do you faithfully represent the stories of one language in another? Novelist Hannah Kent remembers how it felt to see her bestselling book Burial Rites translated into 29 languages; literary translator Meredith McKinney inducts us in the secrets of her profession; and Sue Butler explains the allure of untranslatable words. Subscribe now on iTunes, Soundcloud, Stitcher, or your favourite podcast app to get the latest episode delivered direct to your inbox. Listen now

When it comes to the language we use around gender, change is happening fast. But some of that new language isn't so new after all. Internet linguist Gretchen McCulloch takes us deep into the history of pronouns in English, and the long and useful life of singular they; the editors look to Sweden, with an eye on The Watch List; and Norrie explains how one little word took them all the way to the High Court of Australia.  Subscribe now on iTunes, Soundcloud, Stitcher, or your favourite podcast app to get the latest episode delivered direct to your inbox. Listen now

Winston Churchill called the Australian accent "the most brutal maltreatment that has ever been inflicted" on the English language. But when Strine first emerged, it was praised as an unusually pure variety. Linguist Felicity Cox traces the history of our accent from the Sydney colony to the present day - when it's still changing.   Plus: pronunciation can be a source of personal anxiety and public controversy. The dictionary editors muse on the Americanisation of Australian English, the rise of "haitch", and the oral gymnastics of "ophthalmologist".   Subscribe now on iTunes, Soundcloud, Stitcher, or your favourite podcast app to get the latest episode delivered direct to your inbox. Listen now

A rose by any other name would smell as sweet. Or would it? In this episode, we dive headfirst into the history of naming. Tiger Webb from ABC Language helps us get to grips with given name trends, surname extinction and Australian place naming; the Macquarie Dictionary editors peel back the secret stories behind everyday eponyms; and Kate is hard at work cuddling babies.   Subscribe now on iTunes, Soundcloud, Stitcher, or your favourite podcast app to get the latest episode delivered direct to your inbox.   Listen now

We're back! Season 2 launches 6th September with new weekly episodes, featuring more secret word histories, more fascinating guests, and more behind-the-scenes revelations from Macquarie Dictionary. Listen for a preview of what's in store this season.  Subscribe now on iTunes, Soundcloud, Stitcher, or your favourite podcast app to get the latest episode delivered direct to your inbox. Listen now

Before 1788, hundreds of Indigenous languages were spoken in Australia. Today, that picture looks very different, but language remains an essential part of the fabric of Indigenous identity. In this special episode of Word for Word, we explore a language with tens of thousands of speakers, as well as some languages spoken only by a handful of people; novelist Kate Grenville tells the story of an unusual First Fleet lieutenant and his attempts to learn the Gadigal language; and we meet a young Indigenous woman in the remote community of Ngukurr, who is determined to keep her grandmother's language alive. Listen now

Join us as we go behind the scenes in the selection process for Macquarie's Word of the Year. We listen in on the Word of the Year committee meeting, featuring guest judges Dom Knight and Annabel Crabb; the dictionary team reflects on how the extraordinary politics of 2016 collided with our language last year; and Sue Butler is the guest of honour at a kebab house. Listen now

Yas queen, we're finally talking internet slang! In this episode, we marvel at the evolution of language online, exploring emoji, hashtags, and new words with writer Alex McKinnon. It's lit. Also: the dictionary team reminisce about the weird things you've sent them in the mail, and the players at The Games Den reveal their favourite words. This is the last episode in our very first series of Word for Word. But don't worry! We'll be back with brand new episodes early in the new year. Listen now

It's the question that sparked debate around the country: what do you call a sausage in a piece of bread? Your answer will likely reveal your roots, as the Macquarie team goes beyond bathers vs. cossies to explore Australian regionalisms. Also: Sue Butler reveals the secret histories behind some uniquely Australian turns of phrase, and we get closer to nature in search of favourite words. Listen now

Fancy yourself a dab hand at Scrabble? Meet Esther Perrins. She's a former British national champion and Guinness World Record holder, and her highest score for a single game of Scrabble is a staggering 683 points. Also: Sue Butler muses on the enduring appeal of folk etymologies and the Pan Macmillan book club deploys some very classy favourite words. Listen now