The Emmy-nominated TV series Hoarders delves into the consequences of overaccumulation — whether it’s clothes, trinkets, mementos, or trash — while offering help to those affected. Beyond its emotional storytelling, we can look at Hoarders to reveal the distinction between two often-confused terms: “hoard” and “horde.”

As the show’s title suggests, a hoarder is a person or animal that collects vast amounts of items and hides them away — think of a squirrel stockpiling acorns. In the context of the show, “hoard” is used as a verb, but it can also be used as a noun. For instance, pots and pans falling out of a kitchen cupboard is a hoard of cooking utensils. Similarly, boxes piled up in the garage are a hoard of boxes. The word “hoard” can be traced to the Old Saxon hord, meaning “treasure.” This usage of “hoard” is often mistakenly swapped with “horde,” which means “a large group of people.”

“Horde,” as the definition reflects, is reserved for crowds of people, not objects. For instance, when doors open for a show, you might be a part of a horde of concertgoers flooding the entrance. There’s a little bit of wiggle room for animals, such as a horde of cattle crossing the road. “Horde” is used to refer to living beings (and not stockpiles of stuff around your house) because of its original usage to refer to a group of central Asian nomads, specifically from the Turkic orda. The “Golden Horde” was a group of fierce warriors who ruled part of the Mongol Empire during the 14th and 15th centuries. 

Over time, “horde” became synonymous with any group of nomadic people or tribes, especially those living in untamed environments. This specification meant “horde” retained a sense of disorder or unruliness that persists in its modern usage (which is often derogatory). Today, “horde” might describe a large, disorganized, or rowdy group.

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Despite the etymological differences, the similarities in spelling and the fact that both words refer to an accumulation mean “horde” and “hoard” are often confused. The Oxford English Dictionary estimates that around a quarter of the citations for “hoard” in its corpus are the incorrect usage. Remember this key difference: It comes down to what is accumulating. If objects or possessions are piling up, use “hoard,” but if people or animals are amassing, use “horde.” 

The first definition of “nightcap” is a literal one: A nightcap is a sleeping cap worn to bed. Long before central heating, bedchambers could be chilly at night and head coverings provided some protection. There’s also a long tradition of wearing nightcaps to protect hairstyles from damage.  The Oxford English Dictionary notes the nighttime headwear has been common since at least the late 14th century, when “nightcappes” were first referenced in print. In the 19th century, the term moved from the wardrobe to the bar cart as “nightcap” took  on a new meaning as an alcoholic drink enjoyed in the evening, often before bed. 

Soporific beverages were considered a final cap on a full night of activities, hence the term “nightcap.” While brandy, scotch, or another dark liquor might be today’s go-to nightcap, an 1818 publication called The Cook’s Oracle prescribed ale: “A pint of table beer (or Ale, if you make it for a ‘Night-Cap’).” Whether the booze helped induce drowsiness was debatable, but people turned to these libations nonetheless. 

However, the term’s beverage usage seems to have been multipurpose in the 19th century. Oxford Night Caps, an 1827 collection of recipes, contains stories and instructions on how to make a variety of wine- and liquor-based punches, ales, and other boozy beverages. Many include advice to serve with dinner or for which holidays they are appropriate, so these nightcaps don’t seem limited to bedtime. 

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Roughly a century later, “nightcap” developed a nonalcoholic connotation. In 1930, an Ovaltine advertising campaign claimed its milky mixture was “the world’s best ‘night-cap’ to ensure sound, natural sleep.” Sleepytime Tea hit the market in 1972 and remains a household name today, and social media trends for other nightcap concoctions abound. A recent trend called the “Sleepy Girl Mocktail” involves making a nightcap with tart cherry juice, magnesium glycinate powder (both ingredients purported to help induce sleep), and prebiotic soda such as Olipop.

With nightcap trends coming and going (both as headwear and beverages), it doesn’t matter if you wear it on your head or drink it in a glass, or if it has alcohol or not — there’s a liberal usage for the term “nightcap.”

In competitions, some people just want to win, while others seek to make things more interesting by raising the stakes. This may involve putting a cash prize or another item of great value on the line. The phrase “upping the ante” was coined to describe this practice in the game of poker, but it has evolved from the betting world to be used in other games of chance, and now it can apply to any high-stakes situation. 

The modern version of poker developed in the early 19th century. Under these game rules, the ante (from the Latin ante, meaning “before”) refers to an event before a hand is dealt. During the ante phase, participants wanting to play that hand contribute money to a collective pot, which is eventually awarded to the winner of the hand.

While antes are generally small, players developed a betting strategy of increasing the ante for bigger payouts. This strategy sweetens the prize and weeds out players with insufficient funds who may not be as serious about competing. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the phrase “raising the ante” appeared in poker instructional manuals by the mid-1810s, indicating it was popular among gamblers, especially those with larger bankrolls.

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The phrase quickly moved beyond poker tables, and by the late 19th century, it was adopted as American slang for a figurative description of an increase in an agreed-upon price. As an idiom, it might also be used in negotiations for an increase in the amount paid in advance (e.g., a down payment on a house). In time, bettors began to say “upping” as a colloquial alternative to “raising,” and the phrase “up the ante” entered the collective vernacular by the mid-1900s. Whether you’re at the poker table or the negotiating table, if someone says, “It’s time to raise [or up] the ante,” and you don’t have funds at the ready, it might be time to sit this one out.

You know what can be nerve-racking for a writer? Making spelling errors. It would probably keep me up at night were it not for spell-check and autocorrect, wonderful by-product of the digital age. These features come to the rescue to mitigate anxiety-inducing mistakes (but they can also insert errors, especially into awkward text messages). However, some words slip through the cracks — one particular word pairing often missed by spell-checkers, editors, and the like is the perplexing choice between “nerve-racking” and “nerve-wracking.” While both forms are technically permissible, there are some caveats. 

Merriam-Webster defines “nerve-racking” as an adjective that describes something “marked by or causing agitation or uncomfortable feelings,” as in, “It was a nerve-racking exam” or “This is a nerve-racking game!” However, the term “nerve-wracking” is listed as a spelling variation. According to M-W, both versions are correct, but “nerve-racking” is preferred.  Conversely, the Oxford English Dictionary explains that “nerve-racking” predates “nerve-wracking,” but the latter is the more commonly used modern version. It seems even major dictionaries have differing opinions on these terms.

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So, why are there two versions? Turning back the clock a thousand years reveals they developed not out of a spelling error, but from different Old English words, causing them to carry unique nuances. “Rack” comes from the Old English reccan, meaning “to stretch,” with the connotation of suffering or mental anguish (you might recognize “the rack” as a medieval torture device). Conversely, “wrack” stems from the Old English wracu and wræc, meaning “vengeance, persecution, or misery.” Because the words sound the same and have such similar meanings, “wrack” mistakenly replaced “rack” in “nerve-racking.”

Grammar purists may champion “nerve-racking” as the superior choice, citing its historical precedence, but either term is generally acceptable, and major dictionaries back that up.