Summary: At this point and time, it's pretty clear that the words "awful" and "awesome" aren't interchangeable. But why do their prefixes sound identical? Our listener Kalen asks: “Why is ‘awesome’ a positive word and ‘awful’ a negative word?” This is a great example of how two words can start in the same place and end up with quite different meanings. Since both of these words meant “awe-inspiring” at one point in their lives, we should look at “awe” first. “Awe” has changed meaning over time, which
