Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Language/2022 February 28

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February 28

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Usage frequency dictionary

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Are there dictionary-like resources that show usage frequency for a given English word and/or phrase? I became interested after encountering the phrase "in spades" which sounds flamboyant, so that if I use it, most English speakers would know the meaning. 212.180.235.46 (talk) 12:38, 28 February 2022 (UTC)[reply]

Google ngrams is a good resource. --Jayron32 12:44, 28 February 2022 (UTC)[reply]
By the way, the origin of the phrase "in spades" comes from card games like Auction bridge, where Spades are the highest scoring suit, see here. --Jayron32 14:08, 28 February 2022 (UTC)[reply]