On June 12, 2012, Philip B. Corbett wrote a note in the After Deadline column discussing words that New York Times writers had often used, as suggested by newsroom colleagues.

R&D is developing a tool to help newsroom editors and reporters find patterns in language usage throughout the history of The New York Times. These patterns may lead to changes in editorial word choice, or may be used to illustrate changing opinions, emphasis, or trends in coverage. When we read Mr. Corbett's column, we immediately thought of using this prototype to illustrate his points.

To show how this tool might be used, here are graphs showing how the terms Mr. Corbett described have been used over the last 30 years: