
Jess Zafarris and Rob Watts unravel the stories behind everyday words. Want to watch our episodes too? Subscribe to our YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/channel/UC8R3ZnESMdsuTevq4ib9CvA
| Publishes | Weekly | Episodes | 104 | Founded | 3 years ago |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of Listeners | Categories | Society & CultureEducationSelf-Improvement | |||

Rob and Jess are investigating how some of the world's biggest brands got their names.
📸 Does KODAK mean anything?
🍟 Which Wendy is Wendy's named after?
🍗 Does Popeyes have anything do with Popeye the Sailor?
🍔 What was the Big Mac nearly called?... more
Let's explore city names in Australia, New Zealand, Canada and beyond in another etymological journey around the world.
🇦🇺 Is Darwin really named after Charles?
🇨🇦 Is Ontario named after the lake or vice versa?
🇹🇷 Which Turkish city is just c... more
Rob and Jess are exploring the writing systems of the ancient world.
𓀀 How do hieroglyphs work?
✍️ When did writing first begin?
And how did we solve the mystery of Linear B?
For these answers, and many more, enjoy this gloriously outdated episod... more
Let's explore some funny sayings from around the world. In this episode, Rob and Jess discover other languages' equivalents of phrases like "raining cats and dogs", "cost an arm and a leg" and "one sandwich short of a picnic".
Discover idioms in lan... more
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A comforting joy. It's like hearing very kind and smart friends chat over coffee (or tea).
Jess and Rob work well together. Love hearing the roots of words we use today.
Maybe it’s just the recent topics, but you seem to be injecting much more “politically correct” commentary than you used to = makes the show less entertaining
I’m glad to have found this podcast, it’s incredibly interesting while keeping things fun. Well done, both hosts!
Like lake chargoggagoggmanchauggagoggchaubunagungamaugg (45 letters long) or hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia (38 letters long) or pseudopseudohypoparathyroidism (29 or 30 something letters) but this overall is the one of the best podcasts I have heard
Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.
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Apple Podcasts | #182 | |
Apple Podcasts | #195 |
Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.
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Two linguistics-minded hosts explore word origins, language history, and the quirks of etymology in accessible, conversational episodes. Across recent topics, they cover Latin and its imprint on English, everyday word origins, idioms, word debunking, and cross-cultural influences, all with playful banter and clear explanations. The show stands out for its sunny, approachable tone, research-backed trivia, and a balance between deep-dive roots and broad cultural context that appeals to word enthusiasts, educators, and curious lifelong learners alike.
What makes this series notable is the duo's dynamic chemistry, a steady focus on practical etymology, and a bias toward entertaining, family-friendly language exploration that still dives into sc... more
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These podcasts share a similar audience with Words Unravelled:
1. Lexicon Valley
2. The Allusionist
3. The History of English Podcast
4. Lingthusiasm - A podcast that's enthusiastic about linguistics
5. Lateral with Tom Scott
Words Unravelled launched 3 years ago and published 104 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.
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Recent guests on Words Unravelled include:
1. Valerie Fridland
2. Danny Bate
3. John McWhorter
4. Joshua Blackburn
5. Mignon Fogarty
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