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Auntie Bev, former journalist and educator, uses TikTok to teach vocabulary to the masses

Dictionaries are displayed for sale at Powell's Books on Thursday, Sept. 18, 2025, in Portland, Oregon. (Jenny Kane/AP)
Jenny Kane/AP
Dictionaries are displayed for sale at Powell's Books on Thursday, Sept. 18, 2025, in Portland, Oregon. (Jenny Kane/AP)

Beverly Mahone-Gibbs, best known online as Auntie Bev, has created a TikTok and Instagram presence with millions of followers, where she explains the meaning of different vocabulary words.

Some days, it’s just about a word she feels like people need to learn about, but most days, her word of the day comments on a current political situation.

Auntie Bev joins host Robin Young to talk about the power of words.

This article was originally published on WBUR.org.

Copyright 2025 WBUR

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