Noah Webster

American lexicographer, textbook pioneer, English-language spelling reformer, writer, editor and author (1758-1843)

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Lived 1758–1843, aged 85United States

United States WritersWriter / Author

Wikipedia
47 languages
Cross-language footprint
Era
1758–1843
Aged 85
Awards
1
recognised work

Summary

Updated 2026-06-08

He decided how Americans would spell "color" instead of "colour" and gave the country its first major dictionary — then spent decades trying to convince a young nation it needed its own language to match its independence.

Biography

About

Born in West Hartford, Connecticut in 1758, Webster graduated from Yale in 1778 and passed the bar but couldn't find legal work. He opened a private school and wrote the "Blue-Back Speller," textbooks that taught generations of American children to read. A fervent supporter of the Revolution and the Constitution, he believed American nationalism required its own intellectual foundation, distinct from European values. Alexander Hamilton recruited him to New York in 1793 to edit a Federalist newspaper; he returned to Connecticut in 1798 and served in the state legislature. In 1806 he published A…

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