Otherwords backdrop

The Best Episodes of Otherwords

Every episode of Otherwords ranked from best to worst. Let's dive into the Best Episodes of Otherwords!

Digs deep into the quintessential human trait of language to find the fascinating, thought-provoking, and funny stories behind the words and sounds we take for granted. Incorporating the fields of biology, history, cultural studies, literature

Airs on
PBS Digital Studios
BestEpisodes
WorstEpisodes
BestSeasons
AllEpisodes

Seasons1

All1

Episode Rankings

  1. #1 Fan Favorite
    Click to reveal
    Otherwords Season 1 Episode 1 - The Unexpected Origins of the Word ‘Monster’
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #1 - The Unexpected Origins of the Word ‘Monster’

    S1:E1

    Words don't pop up fully formed... they evolve over thousands of years. What can we learn about our relationship to monsters by tracking the word down into the distant past?

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  2. Otherwords Season 1 Episode 2 - What's the Longest Word?
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #2 - What's the Longest Word?

    S1:E2

    Before we decide from a long list of contenders, we'll have to figure out what the word "word" really means...

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  3. Otherwords Season 1 Episode 3 - Can Computers Really Talk? Or Are They Faking It?
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #3 - Can Computers Really Talk? Or Are They Faking It?

    S1:E3

    New advancements in technology are making it harder than ever to tell the difference between a computer and a human speaker... but what's going on under the hood? Is it really "language," or just a digital illusion?

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  4. Otherwords Season 1 Episode 4 - What People Get Wrong About African-American English
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #4 - What People Get Wrong About African-American English

    S1:E4

    It's one of the most studied — and most controversial — varieties of English. But many people still hold deep misconceptions about African-American English (AAE).

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  5. Otherwords Season 1 Episode 5 - Popular Words Invented by Authors
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #5 - Popular Words Invented by Authors

    S1:E5

    Authors often create words just for a one-time usage... but a special few will gain traction and become full-fledged parts of our shared lexicon! Otherwords is a new PBS web series on Storied that digs deep into this quintessential human trait of language and fınds the fascinating, thought-provoking, and funny stories behind the words and sounds we take for granted. Incorporating the fıelds of biology, history, cultural studies, literature, and more, linguistics has something for everyone and offers a unique perspective into what it means to be human.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  6. Otherwords Season 1 Episode 6 - 60 Euphemisms for Death!
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #6 - 60 Euphemisms for Death!

    S1:E6

    No topic is as universally avoided--yet universally unavoidable--as DEATH. So, it's got a lot of euphemisms in virtually every language.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

    7. Trending NowTRENDING NOW

    The 20 WORST Episodes of Otherwords

    READ
  7. Otherwords Season 1 Episode 7 - Is Swearing Good for Your Brain?
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #7 - Is Swearing Good for Your Brain?

    S1:E7

    Does swearing get a bad rap? There's evidence that the shouting obscenities has an evolutionary purpose... and may be good for your psyche!

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  8. Otherwords Season 1 Episode 8 - How Do Clichés Evolve into Memes?
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #8 - How Do Clichés Evolve into Memes?

    S1:E8

    Adaptable clichés called "snowclones" are EVERYWHERE on the internet. We use them for memes, inside jokes, to show our membership of the group. But they weren't invented online. In fact, they're way older than you think!

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  9. Otherwords Season 1 Episode 9 - The Screwed-Up History of English Spelling
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #9 - The Screwed-Up History of English Spelling

    S1:E9

    The English spelling system is a MESS... arguably more than any other language. How did it get this way?

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  10. Otherwords Season 1 Episode 10 - Pronouns: Little Words That Say a Lot
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #10 - Pronouns: Little Words That Say a Lot

    S1:E10

    Pronouns may be little, but they say a lot, and they're always changing!

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  11. Otherwords Season 1 Episode 11 - Is Gossip... Good?
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #11 - Is Gossip... Good?

    S1:E11

    Gossip is an integral part of human social structure... and maybe the reason language evolved in the first place!

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  12. Otherwords Season 1 Episode 12 - Foreign Words We Need in English
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #12 - Foreign Words We Need in English

    S1:E12

    English has more words than most other languages, but there are still so many familiar things and experiences that we don't have a word for... but other languages do! Here are some of our faves!

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  13. Otherwords Season 1 Episode 13 - Is Bilingualism a Superpower?
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #13 - Is Bilingualism a Superpower?

    S1:E13

    There was a time when psychologists thought growing up bilingual was harmful to brain development, but recent studies into bilingual children have turned that idea on its head!

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  14. Otherwords Season 1 Episode 14 - The Stories Behind Food Names
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #14 - The Stories Behind Food Names

    S1:E14

    It shouldn't matter what a food is called as long as it tastes good, right? Well, maybe not.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  15. Otherwords Season 1 Episode 15 - Literally No One Likes a Grammar Cop
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #15 - Literally No One Likes a Grammar Cop

    S1:E15

    Besides being annoying, what if the grammar police are actually... wrong?

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  16. Otherwords Season 1 Episode 16 - Why Sign Language Was Banned in America
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #16 - Why Sign Language Was Banned in America

    S1:E16

    Sign Languages are just as linguistically valid and vibrant as spoken languages, and beneficial to learn for Deaf and hearing people. So why for decades was it illegal to teach them in American schools?

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  17. Otherwords Season 1 Episode 17 - How Brands Ruin Slang
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #17 - How Brands Ruin Slang

    S1:E17

    Why do brands use slang in their marketing? And why does it sound so... cringey?

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  18. Otherwords Season 1 Episode 18 - Is "R" a Vowel?
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #18 - Is "R" a Vowel?

    S1:E18

    We all know that the vowels are A, E, I, O, U and sometimes Y... But the way linguists define vowels may mean R qualifies as well!

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  19. Otherwords Season 1 Episode 19 - Where Alcoholic Drinks Got Their Names
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #19 - Where Alcoholic Drinks Got Their Names

    S1:E19

    Alcohol has been with humanity since the dawn of civilization, and we use still use some of the same terms for it! Come with us on an etymological journey through the history of drinking.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  20. Otherwords Season 1 Episode 20 - How English Took Over the World
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #20 - How English Took Over the World

    S1:E20

    How did English become the most spoken language on the planet, and why are there so many varieties of English?

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  21. Otherwords Season 1 Episode 21 - The Weird History of Invented Languages
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #21 - The Weird History of Invented Languages

    S1:E21

    Can you really invent a language? These people sure tried! But does anyone actually speak them?

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  22. Otherwords Season 1 Episode 22 - How Queer Communities Created Secret Languages
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #22 - How Queer Communities Created Secret Languages

    S1:E22

    Across the globe, queer communities have relied on secret lexicons known as "argots" to communicate safely, which have developed over the years into what some call "verbal jazz."

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  23. Otherwords Season 1 Episode 23 - What Brain Damage Reveals About Language
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #23 - What Brain Damage Reveals About Language

    S1:E23

    Some of the first discoveries about the relationship between language and the brain were made by studying patients with brain damage. Of course, before modern technology, the only way you could see the brain was by opening it up.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  24. Otherwords Season 1 Episode 24 - Why Does Texting Feel Different from Talking?
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #24 - Why Does Texting Feel Different from Talking?

    S1:E24

    Your texts might be cool and clever, but you still get tongue-tied when talking to people face-to-face. Why is that? It's all just words, right? Learn the difference between what linguist call synchronous and asynchronous communication.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  25. Otherwords Season 1 Episode 25 - How the Colors Got Their Names
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #25 - How the Colors Got Their Names

    S1:E25

    The earliest humans didn't have words for colors... and the way they evolved follow a remarkably similar path across cultures.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

Best Episodes Summary

"The Unexpected Origins of the Word ‘Monster’" is the best rated episode of "Otherwords". It scored /10 based on 0 votes. Directed by Unknown and written by Unknown, it aired on 3/24/2021. This episode scored 0.0 points higher than the second highest rated, "What's the Longest Word?".