The purpose of this thread is to compile a list of frequently asked questions about each keyword in Magic, and the answers to those questions. If you think you have a common question about how a particular keyword works, check here to see if you can find the answer before asking about it in a new thread in RQ&A.
If you find a rules error or a broken link in this FAQ, please PM me so that I can fix it. Be aware that I may not respond; if it's nitpicky, I might decide to leave it out in the interests of clarity.
There are still many topics that this FAQ doesn't cover, so if you think there is something that needs to be covered or answered, please make a post in this thread.
If you have some other comment, PM me if you think it is important.
Magic: The Gathering Comprehensive Rules (TXT file; also available in DOC, RTF, and PDF formats.) The complete rules for the game of Magic; there is a full section for each keyworded ability outlining its functionality. Beginners might not want to go here; they're very intimidating for the uninitiated.
Set FAQs The official FAQs for each released set. Each FAQ contains information about the new keywords contained in that set. Note, however, that these FAQs are released when the set is released and never updated. As such, they may contain information or rulings that are outdated or inaccurate.
Gatherer Look up a card with the keyword you want to learn about in Gatherer and check for relevant rulings. They'll be listed down at the bottom of the window; you may have to scroll down to see them.
Contributors:
Thanks to everyone who has contributed to this FAQ in any way.
Extra-special thanks to Gardevior for doing a whole bunch of stuff so I wouldn't have to, and to cyphern for helping me update the terminology and rules excerpts for M10.
And so people say to me, "How do I know if a word is real?" You know, anyone who's read a children's book knows that love makes things real. If you love a word, use it! That makes it real. Being in the dictionary is an artificial distinction; it doesn't make the word any more real than any other word. If you love a word, it becomes real. --Erin McKean, Redefining the Dictionary
702.7a First strike is a static ability that modifies the rules for the combat damage step. (See rule 510, "Combat Damage Step.")
702.7b If at least one attacking or blocking creature has first strike or double strike (see rule 702.4) as the combat damage step begins, the only creatures that assign combat damage in that step are those with first strike or double strike. After that step, instead of proceeding to the end of combat step, the phase gets a second combat damage step. The only creatures that assign combat damage in that step are the remaining attackers and blockers that had neither first strike nor double strike as the first combat damage step began, as well as the remaining attackers and blockers that currently have double strike. After that step, the phase proceeds to the end of combat step.
702.7c Giving first strike to a creature without it after combat damage has already been dealt in the first combat damage step won't prevent that creature from assigning combat damage in the second combat damage step. Removing first strike from a creature after it has already dealt combat damage in the first combat damage step won't allow it to also assign combat damage in the second combat damage step (unless the creature has double strike).
702.7d Multiple instances of first strike on the same creature are redundant.
Q: What does first strike do? A: In combat, creatures with first strike (and double strike) will deal damage...well, first, before creatures without first strike get the chance to deal their combat damage. This means that if the creature with first strike deals enough damage to kill the creatures it's blocking/being blocked by, those creatures will die and the creature with first strike won't be dealt damage at all.
Q: Can I cast spells and abilities in between first strike creatures dealing damage and normal creatures dealing damage? A: Yes. After first strike damage is dealt, you will have to get priority at some point (and thus get a chance to cast spells and activate abilities) before the game can move on to the normal combat damage step.
Q: What happens if a creature gains or loses first strike in the middle of combat? A: Creatures gaining or losing first strike after the first combat damage step has started will have no effect on combat--things proceed just as they would have if the creature hadn't gained/lost the ability.
Q: My first strike creature isn't blocked. Does it still deal its damage before the regular creatures do? A: Yes. First strike doesn't "turn off" if the creature is unblocked. The first striker will still deal damage before regular creatures get to deal theirs. This doesn't make a difference very often, but it can matter occasionally.
Q: How does first strike interact with double strike? A: It doesn't. A creature with both first strike and double strike works exactly the same as a creature with only double strike. First strike works by making the creature deal its combat damage in the first of two combat damage steps. Double strike works by making the creature deal its combat damage in both steps. Thus, adding first strike to double strike is completely and utterly redundant.
And so people say to me, "How do I know if a word is real?" You know, anyone who's read a children's book knows that love makes things real. If you love a word, use it! That makes it real. Being in the dictionary is an artificial distinction; it doesn't make the word any more real than any other word. If you love a word, it becomes real. --Erin McKean, Redefining the Dictionary
702.23a Flanking is a triggered ability that triggers during the declare blockers step. (See rule 509, "Declare Blockers Step.") "Flanking" means "Whenever this creature becomes blocked by a creature without flanking, the blocking creature gets -1/-1 until end of turn."
702.23b If a creature has multiple instances of flanking, each triggers separately.
Q: What does flanking do? A: When a creature with flanking attacks and is blocked, any creatures blocking it that don't have flanking themselves get -1/-1 until the end of the turn. This happens right after the creature is declared as a blocker, before it gets the chance to deal combat damage. (Even if the blocker has first strike or double strike.)
Q: What happens if flanking kills the blocking creature? Does the flanking creature get to assign damage to the defending player? A: Not unless it has trample. Once a creature has become blocked, it stays blocked for the rest of combat, even if the creatures blocking it leave the battlefield.
Q: Does flanking target? A: No. Anything that targets will use the actual word "target", either in the rules text of the card itself or, if a keyword is involved, in the rules of the game. (And in those cases, the reminder text for the keyword will include the word "target".)
Thus, since flanking does not use the word "target" at all, it doesn't target.
Q: What happens if my creature has multiple instances of flanking? A: Each instance will trigger and resolve independently, and the results are cumulative. Two instances of flanking will result in each non-flanking blocker getting -1/-1 and then -1/-1 again, for a total of -2/-2. Three instances add up to -3/-3, four add up to -4/-4, and so on and so forth.
Q: What happens if my flanking creature is blocked by multiple creatures? A: Each of the blocking creatures will get -1/-1 unless they have flanking; flanking triggers once for each blocking creature without flanking.
And so people say to me, "How do I know if a word is real?" You know, anyone who's read a children's book knows that love makes things real. If you love a word, use it! That makes it real. Being in the dictionary is an artificial distinction; it doesn't make the word any more real than any other word. If you love a word, it becomes real. --Erin McKean, Redefining the Dictionary
702.9b A creature with flying can't be blocked except by creatures with flying and/or reach. A creature with flying can block a creature with or without flying. (See rule 509, "Declare Blockers Step," and rule 702.16, "Reach.")
702.9c Multiple instances of flying on the same creature are redundant.
Q: What does flying do? A: Simple: attacking creatures with flying cannot be blocked by creatures that don't have either flying or reach--they "fly over" those creatures.
And so people say to me, "How do I know if a word is real?" You know, anyone who's read a children's book knows that love makes things real. If you love a word, use it! That makes it real. Being in the dictionary is an artificial distinction; it doesn't make the word any more real than any other word. If you love a word, it becomes real. --Erin McKean, Redefining the Dictionary
702.10b If a creature has haste, it can attack even if it hasn't been controlled by its controller continuously since his or her most recent turn began. (See rule 302.6.)
702.10c If a creature has haste, its controller can activate its activated abilities whose cost includes the tap symbol or the untap symbol even if that creature hasn't been controlled by that player continuously since his or her most recent turn began. (See rule 302.6.)
702.10d Multiple instances of haste on the same creature are redundant.
Q: What does haste do? A: Read the Main Rules Q&A FAQ entry on Summoning Sickness. Read it? Good. None of that applies to creatures with haste; they are able to , :symq:, or attack even if they just entered the battlefield.
Q: Do artifacts and lands have haste? A: No; they don't need it. Noncreature permanents aren't subject to summoning sickness in the first place. (Note that they're immune because they're not creatures, not because they're artifacts or lands.)
And so people say to me, "How do I know if a word is real?" You know, anyone who's read a children's book knows that love makes things real. If you love a word, use it! That makes it real. Being in the dictionary is an artificial distinction; it doesn't make the word any more real than any other word. If you love a word, it becomes real. --Erin McKean, Redefining the Dictionary
702.13a Landwalk is a generic term that appears within an object's rules text as "[type]walk," where [type] is usually a subtype, but can be the card type land, any land type, any supertype, or any combination thereof.
702.13b Landwalk is an evasion ability.
702.13c A creature with landwalk is unblockable as long as the defending player controls at least one land with the specified subtype (as in "islandwalk"), with the specified supertype (as in "legendary landwalk"), without the specified supertype (as in "nonbasic landwalk"), or with both the specified supertype and the specified subtype (as in "snow swampwalk"). (See rule 509, "Declare Blockers Step.")
702.13d Landwalk abilities don't "cancel" one another. Example: If a player controls a snow Forest, that player can't block an attacking creature with snow forestwalk even if he or she also controls a creature with snow forestwalk.
702.13e Multiple instances of the same kind of landwalk on the same creature are redundant.
Q: What does landwalk do? A: A creature with a particular type of landwalk is completely unblockable if the defending player controls a land with that particular land type. For example, a creature with forestwalk is unblockable if the defending player controls a land with the type "forest".
Q: Can creatures with, say, forestwalk be blocked by other creatures with forestwalk? A: Not if the defending player controls a forest. Landwalk makes a creature completely unblockable, even by other creatures with landwalk.
And so people say to me, "How do I know if a word is real?" You know, anyone who's read a children's book knows that love makes things real. If you love a word, use it! That makes it real. Being in the dictionary is an artificial distinction; it doesn't make the word any more real than any other word. If you love a word, it becomes real. --Erin McKean, Redefining the Dictionary
702.15a Protection is a static ability, written "Protection from [quality]." This quality is usually a color (as in "protection from black") but can be any characteristic value. If the quality happens to be a card name, it is treated as such only if the protection ability specifies that the quality is a name. If the quality is a card type, subtype, or supertype, the ability applies to sources that are permanents with that card type, subtype, or supertype and to any sources not on the battlefield that are of that card type, subtype, or supertype. This is an exception to rule 109.2.
702.15b A permanent or player with protection can't be targeted by spells with the stated quality and can't be targeted by abilities from a source with the stated quality.
702.15c A permanent or player with protection can't be enchanted by Auras that have the stated quality. Such Auras attached to the permanent or player with protection will be put into their owners' graveyards as a state-based action. (See rule 704, "State-Based Actions.")
702.15d A permanent with protection can't be equipped by Equipment that have the stated quality or fortified by Fortifications that have the stated quality. Such Equipment or Fortifications become unattached from that permanent as a state-based action, but remain on the battlefield. (See rule 704, "State-Based Actions.")
702.15e Any damage that would be dealt by sources that have the stated quality to a permanent or player with protection is prevented.
702.15f Attacking creatures with protection can't be blocked by creatures that have the stated quality.
702.15g "Protection from [quality A] and from [quality B]" is shorthand for "protection from [quality A]" and "protection from [quality B]"; it behaves as two separate protection abilities. If an effect causes an object with such an ability to lose protection from [quality A], for example, that object would still have protection from [quality B].
702.15h "Protection from all [characteristic]" is shorthand for "protection from [quality A]," "protection from [quality B]," and so on for each possible quality the listed characteristic could have; it behaves as multiple separate protection abilities. If an effect causes an object with such an ability to lose protection from [quality A], for example, that object would still have protection from [quality B], [quality C], and so on.
702.15i "Protection from everything" is a variant of the protection ability. A permanent with protection from everything has protection from each object regardless of that object's characteristic values. Such a permanent can't be targeted by spells or abilities, enchanted by Auras, equipped by Equipment, fortified by Fortifications, or blocked by creatures, and all damage that would be dealt to it is prevented.
702.15j Multiple instances of protection from the same quality on the same permanent or player are redundant.
Q: What does protection do? A: Protection is an ability that protects a permanent or player from certain (very specific) kinds of effects. Things that are {foo} will often have a hard time dealing with a permanent with "protection from {foo}". Note, however, that protection is not foolproof, and does not protect against all possible actions. It only stops four very specific things.
Q: Okay, so what are those four things? A: The four things protection from X will do are usually abbreviated D-E-B-T, and are as follows:
D: Prevent all damage from X sources. E: Cannot be equipped/enchanted by X auras or equipment. B: Cannot be blocked by X creatures. T: Cannot be targeted by X spells or abilities from X sources.
Anything that does one of these four things will be stopped by Protection, and anything that doesn't, won't.
Q: Let's see a for-example--can Wrath of God kill a Black Knight ? Can Pestilence kill a White Knight ? A: Wrath of God does not target, nor does it deal damage (and it's obviously not doing either of the others), so it can kill Black Knight. Pestilence does not say target either, but it does deal damage, which protection from black will prevent. So a Wrath will kill a creature with protection from white, but a Pestilence will not kill a creature with protection from black.
Q: Does protection function when the creature it's on isn't on the battlefield? (ie, Can I Zombify a creature with protection from black or Cancel a creature spell with protection from blue?) A: No, protection doesn't work when the creature it's on isn't on the battlefield, so you can Zombify and Cancel those protection-from-black/blue creatures as much as you like.
For an ability (any ability) to work outside of the battlefield, it has to either define a characteristic of the card (like Transguild Courier , Woodland Changeling , or Maro ), specifically say it works outside of the battlefield (like Anger or Glory ) or else do something that would logically mean it has to function somewhere else (like Squee, Goblin Nabob --you can't exactly return Squee from your graveyard if he isn't there in the first place). If an ability doesn't say it works somewhere else, and it would make sense for that ability to work while it's on the battlefield, then it works only on the battlefield. Protection is one such ability.
Q: My opponent's creature has an Aura or Equipment attached to it that boosts its power or toughness. That creature blocks or becomes blocked by a creature of mine which has protection from that Aura or Equipment. Does the boost apply? A: Yes. Your creature may have protection from the Aura or Equipment, but the Aura/Equipment isn't trying to do anything to your creature. It may provide a bonus to a creature, which then deals more damage than it normally would to your creature, but protection can't do anything about that.
Q: What does "protection from everything" do? A: It means that the thing with protection is protected in the manner described above from every possible object in the game. It doesn't mean anything more than that. See the FAQ entry for Progenitus for a full description.
And so people say to me, "How do I know if a word is real?" You know, anyone who's read a children's book knows that love makes things real. If you love a word, use it! That makes it real. Being in the dictionary is an artificial distinction; it doesn't make the word any more real than any other word. If you love a word, it becomes real. --Erin McKean, Redefining the Dictionary
702.26b A creature with shadow can't be blocked by creatures without shadow, and a creature without shadow can't be blocked by creatures with shadow. (See rule 509, "Declare Blockers Step.")
702.26c Multiple instances of shadow on the same creature are redundant.
Q: Can creatures with shadow always be blocked by other creatures with shadow? (For example, can my Dauthi Slayer be blocked by my opponent's Soltari Priest even if I give the Slayer flying?) A: No. Different abilities that make creatures harder to block are cumulative--they all apply at once. If your creature has both shadow and flying, for example, it can't be blocked except by creatures that have both shadow and either flying or reach.
Q: I enchant a creature that has shadow with AEther Web . What happens? A: That creature will be completely unable to block anything. This is due to a ruling that states that if a creature "can block [something] as though [some condition were true]" it always does so.
So the creature can't block creatures without shadow because it has shadow. It will also be unable to block creatures with shadow, because it has to block those creatures as though they didn't have shadow, as though they were normal creatures, and it can't block normal creatures because it has shadow.
And so people say to me, "How do I know if a word is real?" You know, anyone who's read a children's book knows that love makes things real. If you love a word, use it! That makes it real. Being in the dictionary is an artificial distinction; it doesn't make the word any more real than any other word. If you love a word, it becomes real. --Erin McKean, Redefining the Dictionary
702.18a Trample is a static ability that modifies the rules for assigning an attacking creature's combat damage. The ability has no effect when a creature with trample is blocking or is dealing noncombat damage. (See rule 510, "Combat Damage Step.")
702.18b The controller of an attacking creature with trample first assigns damage to the creature(s) blocking it. Once all those blocking creatures are assigned lethal damage, any remaining damage is assigned as its controller chooses among those blocking creatures and the player or planeswalker the creature is attacking. When checking for assigned lethal damage, take into account damage already marked on the creature and damage from other creatures that's being assigned during the same combat damage step, but not any abilities or effects that might change the amount of damage that's actually dealt. The attacking creature's controller need not assign lethal damage to all those blocking creatures but in that case can't assign any damage to the player or planeswalker it's attacking. Example: A 2/2 creature with an ability that enables it to block multiple attackers blocks two attackers: a 1/1 with no abilities a 3/3 with trample. The active player could assign 1 damage from the first attacker and 1 damage from the second to the blocking creature, and 2 damage to the defending player from the creature with trample. Example: A 6/6 green creature with trample is blocked by a 2/2 creature with protection from green. The attacking creature's controller must assign at least 2 damage to the blocker, even though that damage will be prevented by the blocker's protection ability. The attacking creature's controller can divide the rest of the damage as he or she chooses between the blocking creature and the defending player.
702.18c If an attacking creature with trample is blocked, but there are no creatures blocking it when damage is assigned, all its damage is assigned to the player or planeswalker it's attacking.
702.18d If a creature with trample is attacking a planeswalker, none of its combat damage can be assigned to the defending player, even if that planeswalker has been removed from combat or the damage the attacking creature could assign is greater than the planeswalker's loyalty.
702.18e Multiple instances of trample on the same creature are redundant.
Q: What does trample do? A: Trample is an ability that is only relevant when the creature with trample is attacking and is blocked.
During the combat damage step of the combat phase, once you have assigned lethal damage to all creatures blocking your trampler, you can assign the rest of the damage any way you choose between those blocking creatures and the defending player.
Example: You attack Mr. X with a Force of Nature (8/8 trample) and he blocks with a Hill Giant (3/3). When you assign the Force of Nature's damage, you assign 3 damage to the Hill Giant (lethal damage) and can split the rest (5) however you like between the Giant and Mr. X.
Q: What is "lethal damage", for trample purposes? A: "Lethal damage" is defined as damage equal to the creature's current toughness, minus any damage that's already on it. This takes into account any damage that's being assigned at the same time as well.
Example: An opponent blocks your Trained Armodon (3/3) and Moss Kami (5/5 trample) with a Foriysian Brigade (2/4, can block two creatures). Trample takes into account the 3 damage you're assigning to the Brigade from the Armodon, meaning you only have to have the Kami deal 1 damage to the Brigade (for a total of 4--lethal damage), and the rest (4) can be assigned to the defending player.
Q: My opponent blocks my trample creature with two or more creatures. Do I have to assign lethal damage to all of the blocking creatures in order to "trample over", or just to one of them? A: You have to assign lethal damage to all the creatures blocking your trampler before you can assign any to the defending player.
Q: What happens if my opponent blocks my trample creature with a creature with protection from it, an indestructible creature, or with a card like Wall of Shadows ? A: Your creature will still be able to "trample over" (if its power is greater than the blocker's toughness). Lethal damage is defined as damage equal to the creature's toughness (minus damage already on it or being assigned at the same time), not damage that will actually manage to kill the creature. Trample doesn't care whether or not the creature has some ability that will prevent the damage.
Example: If your Force of Nature (8/8 trample) is blocked by a Wall of Shadows (0/1, prevent all damage creatures it blocks would deal to it), you only need to assign 1 damage to the Wall and you can assign the rest (7) to your opponent.
Q: Can I voluntarily assign more than lethal damage to the blocking creature? A: Yes you can. The attacking player decides how to assign the excess damage.
Example: If you really want to kill a Hill Giant with your Force of Nature , but you know your opponent can prevent 4 damage with Mending Hands , you may assign 7 damage to the Hill Giant and only 1 to your opponent.
Q: What happens if all the blocking creatures leave the combat before damage is assigned? A: All the damage from the trample creature is automatically assigned to your opponent.
Q: Will an ability that triggers on dealing combat damage to an opponent trigger when my creature tramples over to him? A: Yes; the excess damage dealt to your opponent is still combat damage.
And so people say to me, "How do I know if a word is real?" You know, anyone who's read a children's book knows that love makes things real. If you love a word, use it! That makes it real. Being in the dictionary is an artificial distinction; it doesn't make the word any more real than any other word. If you love a word, it becomes real. --Erin McKean, Redefining the Dictionary
702.20a Banding is a static ability that modifies the rules for combat.
702.20b "Bands with other" is a special form of banding. If an effect causes a permanent to lose banding, the permanent loses all "bands with other" abilities as well.
702.20c As a player declares attackers, he or she may declare that one or more attacking creatures with banding and up to one attacking creature without banding (even if it has "bands with other") are all in a "band." He or she may also declare that one or more attacking [quality] creatures with "bands with other [quality]" and any number of other attacking [quality] creatures are all in a band. A player may declare as many attacking bands as he or she wants, but each creature may be a member of only one of them. (Defending players can't declare bands but may use banding in a different way; see rule 702.20j.)
702.20d All creatures in an attacking band must attack the same player or planeswalker.
702.20e Once an attacking band has been announced, it lasts for the rest of combat, even if something later removes banding or "bands with other" from one or more of the creatures in the band.
702.20f An attacking creature that's removed from combat is also removed from the band it was in.
702.20g Banding doesn't cause attacking creatures to share abilities, nor does it remove any abilities. The attacking creatures in a band are separate permanents.
702.20h If an attacking creature becomes blocked by a creature, each other creature in the same band as the attacking creature becomes blocked by that same blocking creature. Example: A player attacks with a band consisting of a creature with flying and a creature with swampwalk. The defending player, who controls a Swamp, can block the flying creature if able. If he or she does, then the creature with swampwalk will also become blocked by the blocking creature(s).
702.20i If one member of a band would become blocked due to an effect, the entire band becomes blocked.
702.20j During the combat damage step, if an attacking creature is being blocked by a creature with banding, or by both a [quality] creature with "bands with other [quality]" and another [quality] creature, the defending player (rather than the active player) chooses how the attacking creature's damage is assigned. That player can divide that creature's combat damage as he or she chooses among any number of creatures blocking it. This is an exception to the procedure described in rule 510.1c.
702.20k During the combat damage step, if a blocking creature is blocking a creature with banding, or both a [quality] creature with "bands with other [quality]" and another [quality] creature, the active player (rather than the defending player) chooses how the blocking creature's damage is assigned. That player can divide that creature's combat damage as he or she chooses among any number of creatures it's blocking. This is an exception to the procedure described in rule 510.1d.
702.20m Multiple instances of banding on the same creature are redundant. Multiple instances of "bands with other" of the same kind on the same creature are redundant.
Q: What is banding and what does it do? A: Banding is really two separate abilities. They are commonly referred to as 'mutual assistance' and 'damage sharing.' Both of these abilities apply when a banding creature attacks, but only damage sharing applies when one blocks. Below are descriptions that cover the basics of these two abilities.
Mutual Assistance - Banding allows you to group creatures together when they attack, often called attacking in a band. In an attacking band, all creatures in the band except for one must have banding. Any creature that blocks any member of the band blocks the entire band (even if it couldn't block those creatures normally). For example, I could attack you with Benalish Hero and Grizzly Bears in a band. If you block either the Hero or the Bears, you block the entire band.
Creatures in a band do not share abilities; if I form an attacking band out of a Benalish Hero and an Leonin Skyhunter , you could block the entire band with one non-flying creature by blocking the Hero.
Basically, this part of the ability allows you to "gang-attack" your opponent with a whole bunch of small creatures in the same way that you can "gang-block" attacking creatures. (To "gang-block" is to block a single attacking creature with multiple creatures, usually so you can kill the attacker.)
Damage Sharing - Normally, the controller of a creature gets to decide how to assign that creature's combat damage. However, banding allows the controller of a banding creature to decide how to assign the combat damage of any creatures blocking or blocked by the bander, and lets them divide up that damage however they wish, ignoring the normal damage-ordering rules. For example, let's say I attack with Benalish Hero (1/1) and a Grizzly Bear (2/2) in a band, and you block the band with a 3/3 creature. Because your 3/3 is blocking my banding creature, I get to choose how your creature deals its combat damage. I could assign all three to the Benalish Hero, and then the Grizzly Bear would survive.
Using this aspect of banding is different from forming a band to attack in that it works no matter how many creatures with banding are present. For example, let's say you attack with an 8/8 creature. I could block with eight 1/1 creatures. As long as just one of these creatures had banding, I could assign all the combat damage from the 8/8 creature to just one of my 1/1 creatures.
This part of the banding ability works especially well against attacking creatures with trample, as you can decide to assign all combat damage to the creatures blocking the trample creature and not have any assigned to the defending player.
Q: I think I get it--so what is bands with other? A: Bands with other is a special form of banding.
When creatures with "bands with other" attack, they can form a band consisting of themselves plus any number of creatures that match the quality given after the words "bands with other"--so a creature with "bands with other wolves" could attack in a band with a whole bunch of Wolves.
Other than that, bands with other works the same as normal banding. (Note that this is a change from the original implementation of bands with other, which was insanely counterintuitive and utterly useless to boot.)
And so people say to me, "How do I know if a word is real?" You know, anyone who's read a children's book knows that love makes things real. If you love a word, use it! That makes it real. Being in the dictionary is an artificial distinction; it doesn't make the word any more real than any other word. If you love a word, it becomes real. --Erin McKean, Redefining the Dictionary
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