Quotidian Word

No. While similar to other word-a-day sites, Quotidian Word encourages the user to actually use the word in a sentence by providing a forum to showcase one's vocabularic conquests. On the one hand, it provides a way for logolepts to compete for pedantic glory, and on the other it is a place for the curious to learn and actually see a word used in a real sentence by real people.

Quotidian Word is also about loving words. For linguaphiles, there are few things more titillating than using a new word in conversation, regardless of if the response is a blank stare or a knowing smile. Even madeupical words (for instance, "vocabularic" or "madeupical") can be fun and useful so long as they convey the intended meaning.

First, you need to either register with us or log in if you already have an account. After you've confirmed your account by either clicking the confirmation link in the welcome email or copying and pasting it into your browser, simply go to the front page and post a sentence! You may also vote on other people's sentences if you like them.

There are a few rules to posting on Quotidian Word:

1. Every sentence must include some form of the QWOD. If your sentence doesn't contain the word (or some form of it), you will not be able to post your sentence. You are also missing the point if you are attempting to do so.
2. You should post a sentence that you actually said or wrote. While we can't tell if you did or not, remember that the emphases of this site are on learning from and teaching one another, so you're mostly on your honor here.
3. No HTML. You are not a computer. You do not converse in HTML.
4. You may not reference your username in your submission. Any sentence where an attempt to do so is caught will be deleted immediately and all corresponding votes will be lost.
5. Sentences can be as long as you want so long as they are under 200 characters. There is optional space to include any context that would make your sentence understandable (also limited to 200 characters).
6. Abusive and/or hateful sentences will not be tolerated.

Be careful with what you post. You only get one shot at posting your sentence, so double-, triple-, and fourple-check it to make sure it's exactly what you want to say. You can't take back words in real life, and Quotidian Word is real life. You do the math.

One of the interesting phenomenons of the internet is how whenever there's voting, people tend to jump on the proverbial bandwagon of the person who is most highly-ranked and up-vote their submissions. Here at Quotidian Word, each day the playing field is leveled for tyros and experienced novelists alike because there is no way to know whose sentence is whose. You simply vote for which one you think is best.

In order to keep things interesting, Quotidian Word has implemented a scoring system that allows registered users to vote on the sentences they see fit the following criteria the best:

• The sentence was most likely actually used in speech or writing.
• The sentence uses the word correctly and fittingly. The less awkwardly a word is jammed into a sentence just for the sake of using the word, the better. Although, some words on here will elicit awkwardness. Quotidian Word is not responsible for your awkward moments.
• The sentence is clever, witty, or excellent in some other fashion.
• The best use of the word should get a vote, but you may vote on as many (or as few) sentences as you like.

Each vote a sentence garners adds a notch to the submitter's overall point total, although vote counts for that day are hidden. At the end of the day (11:59:59 PM PST), vote counts will be revealed and the sentence with the most votes will be dubbed the winner, earning the bonus points attached to the word. In the event of a tie, the earliest-submitted sentence gets the nod. The winning sentence will also be displayed on the "Yesterday's Word" panel along with the author's user name. From that point on, the winner will have their sentence displayed with the word as the best example for that word, along with the first- and second-runners up. All winners will have "their" words showcased on their profile page.

Every person who submits a sentence gets at least one point for submitting. The object is to try to really use each word each day, regardless of whether or not people like your sentence. The value is in learning and the expansion of your vocabulary. If you have fewer than 365 points after a year's time, it should only be because it's a leap year.

While it is great that you participate by submitting a sentence, we understand that not everyone is a gloryhound. If you just want to keep track of the words you use and the words you don't (without submitting a sentence), simply click the button that applies. Also, if you are unable to use the word in a sentence after trying, click the "Are you kidding me?" button. On your user profile you may view the words you have checked as used and unused for reference and mark them as used once you have done so.

Submitting a sentence automatically marks you as having used the word.

Occasionally a word will show up that is not a "real word" in the sense that it does not "appear" in "English dictionaries." These words are rare (and for fun), and owning them will net the winner a handsome point prize.

Sometimes you just don't get the opportunity to post your sentence in time. Maybe you joined the site late but would still like to participate. Or, you used the sentence again at a later date than when you first learned the word, but it's a way better sentence than your original. Because of these reasons and any other you may come up with, we've decided to give users the ability to post "necro-sentences," or sentences you can share on a word after its initial posting day.

To post a necro-sentence, simply go to a word that was posted before today and post your sentence using that word. Easy!

While you can't vote or receive votes on necro-sentences, you may still earn points by posting them. Currently, you will receive one point for every 10 necro-sentences you submit, and you may submit as many as you like, up to 5 per day. So even though your point total's bread and butter won't come from using old words, you still get a little something for using them.

All posting rules still apply, and you can still get your account banned for abuse.

Regardless of how many safeguards are in place, it's still possible for jerkfaces to slip offensive or inappropriate sentences under our radar. While PG-13 stuff is generally OK, rated R and up is not. If you see any such sentence, you can "Flag" the offending sentence, which will draw the attention of the moderators for consideration and possible removal.

Note that this option is not available to a user until he or she has submitted at least 5 sentences. This basically gives loyal verbophiles the power to decide what is ok and what is not.

There are actually many ways to keep up with Quotidian Word from the outside. As with most sites nowadays, you can subscribe to our RSS feed to stay up-to-date. You may also follow us on Twitter to catch the QWOD and any various site news and updates. To complete the trifecta of Quotidian Word information, you may sign up for the quotidian email in your user profile (go to your profile, click the "Edit" button, check the box that talks about emails, and click save). But for those of you who participate in forums...

It is neat! If you participate in online forums that allow signatures, we've created a little special something for you to drop in there to intrigue your fellow forum-mates as well as keep your signature fresh:

Each morning, Quotidian Word generates an image with today's sentence. All you have to do is drop our code into your signature (or even anywhere on your website) and have a new sentence appear every day!

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Yes, now you can! Say you're gone for a weekend or carousing about town and you befuddle an unwitting friend with your word, but you don't know when you'll get back to a computer. After you've registered your phone number (under "Mobile Settings"), simply send a text with your sentence to 88147. We strongly suggest saving 88147 in your cell phone as "qword" so you don't forget the prefix.

IMPORTANT: You must preface your sentence with qword. If you don't, your sentence will not register.

Example Text Message:

After you send your text, you should receive a response message telling you either that everything worked out ok or that there was some problem (your sentence didn't contain the word or violated some other posting rule). If you receive an error message of some sort, go ahead and try again. Don't worry, the system will not let you post more than once per day. Cool, huh?

PS: Please note that when posting sentences via text, there is no way to post your context. The fact that you're posting from your phone should lend credence to your use of the QWOD in the wild.

DISCLAIMER: The response text to you will have some advertising in it. We don't inject that, the text messaging company does (hey, they have to make money somehow!). Feel free to support them, however.
You may occasionally (albeit rarely) receive errant or erroneous texts from this service. Also, the uptime of this service is not guaranteed. It's possible that your sentence may not get posted because of problems with the SMS host.
Registering your number is completely safe. You will never receive unsolicited texts from us. Review our Privacy Policy for more information.

As of now you can perform a total of four actions on the website via text messaging (SMS):

1. Submit a sentence
2. Get today's word, definition, and pronunciation
3. Get today's example sentence
4. Get the votes for the sentence you submitted today

Today's Word

To get today's word, definition, and pronunciation, after the prefix qword, text "qword" again:

Today's Example Sentence

If you're unsure of how to use the QWOD, or if the example sentence entertains you, you may retrieve it by texting "example" after the prefix qword:

Your Sentence's Votes

If you would like to see how your sentence is performing, simply text "votes" after the prefix qword:

As you can see, you can still be very in touch with your vocabularic mission even when you're away from your computer. You are now released from your computer bonds! Go forth and promulgate new words! Perplex! Confound! Inculcate!

DISCLAIMER: The response text to you will have some advertising in it. We don't inject that, the text messaging company does (hey, they have to make money somehow!). Feel free to support them, however.
Occasionally responses may appear in more than one text message. This happens when the response plus the advertising service is larger than what SMS allows per message.

supercilious (adj) [soo-per-SILL-ee-us]: haughty, arrogant

...which is exactly how you you can feel when you use these words in a sentence! Words on "Supercilious Sunday" are very difficult, rare, or obscure (albeit interesting!) words that are nearly impossible to use in actual conversation. When sentences are submitted on Supercilious Sundays, you do not get an automatic vote for yourself. This means that it is possible that no one may be awarded the bonus points for the word!

You may ask why we've instituted such a sadistic feature into the site. Not all words in the English language are meant to be used in conversation. However, that does not mean that they are not interesting, weird, fun, and potentially both useful and useless to know at the same time. So why not share them with you?

Voters: be extra critical on SS in regards to whether or not the sentence was actually used in a sentence with another person. Reward users who have suffered through the most uncomfortable awkwardness of using this ridiculous word with a person who now thinks they are the biggest pedant they've ever met!

Logolepts: make sure you try to end your haughty sentence with, "Mrah!"

You may send an email to "contact [commercial at (yes, that's the name of the "@" symbol. Boring, huh?)] quotidianword.com".

Shouldn't you be trying to use a word in a sentence or something?