A2Z News · Daily Digest

May 6, 2026

6 stories · ~2 min read

Today's briefing: a few timeless things worth knowing about words, language, AI, and puzzles. (Archive edition.)

Word Games

The Scripps National Spelling Bee dates to 1925

Its winning words send students deep into Latin, Greek, and the long history of English spelling.

AI & Tech

What 'prompt engineering' actually means

It is the craft of writing clear, effective instructions for an AI model -- and it became common enough that major dictionaries now list it as a word.

Word Games

Anagrams have delighted word lovers for centuries

Rearranging the letters of a word or name into a new one was a favorite pastime long before mobile word games.

Language & Words

English is a world-class word collector

From 'ketchup' to 'safari' to 'pajamas,' English has borrowed words from hundreds of languages around the globe.

Puzzles & Games

Sudoku's modern boom started in Japan

Built on a 1979 US puzzle called Number Place, sudoku was popularized in Japan in the 1980s before sweeping the globe.

Offbeat & Fun

Some words are their own opposites

'Cleave' can mean to split apart or to cling together; such words are called contronyms, or 'Janus words.'

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