Nicomorphinist
Bluelighter
- Joined
- Apr 18, 2019
- Messages
- 1,401
What is the longest word in the English language? I started wondering this when Betäubungsmittelverschreibungsverordnung came up in a conversation, and then also Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanokoniosis.
How about with words with triple consonants, or vowels? The only one of which I can think is the reclaimed politically incorrect term of endearment butttheif, and buttthump is a technical term from figure skating. I have seen the word fuckknuckle spelt with three Ks consistently in some cases -- maybe it is a regional dialect thing? I think it was the number of letters which prevented me from using "DJ Fuckknuckle & The Outlaws of Word Processing & Spreadsheetery" as my screen name for this site.
I used grep on the word list on the spell checker on this computer and found strengths for the longest but I imagine there has to be another one somewhere. Butttheif was not even in the word file, or any other with a triple consonant.
One good word, especially for Scrabble players, is the word aeaeae, which is a near synonym for magic.
How about the longest hyphenated English word, and the hyphenated word with the most pieces?
From http://www.mudslide.net/TopTen/lnwdxtra.html#extra46 from the Late Night With David Letterman television programme, both lists from 1989 I believe:
Top 10 Least-used Hyphenated Words
10. Lick-proof
9. Owl-flavored
8. Hat-resistant
7. Trunk-ripened
6. Gumbel-scented
5. Post-moistened
4. Hitler-riffic
3. Casket-tested
2. Pants-happy
1. Mookie-proofed
Top 10 Words Used Least in the Bible
10. Perky
9. Fudge-a-licious
8. Rootin'-tootin'
7. Buttinsky
6. Schweppervescence
5. Mall Bunny
4. Gas-guzzling
3. Yankee Fan
2. Boinnnng!
1. Slap-happy
What about German? There is Rindfleischetikettierungsüberwachungsaufgabenübertragungsgesetz; I actually have known folks in the Donaudampfschiffahrtselektrizitätenhauptbetriebswerkbauunterbeamtengesellschaft. German is full of triple consonants, like Fußballländerspiel and I have heard people make the case for quintuple-consonant words though I forget the word in question.
Swedish, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Croatian, Serbian, Russian, others. A language with a high or low average word length?
I think the records for heads of state and/or have been are Prime Minister O of South Korea at some point and President Rajaonarimampianina of Madagascar, also 11 syllables, in the last few years.
How about with words with triple consonants, or vowels? The only one of which I can think is the reclaimed politically incorrect term of endearment butttheif, and buttthump is a technical term from figure skating. I have seen the word fuckknuckle spelt with three Ks consistently in some cases -- maybe it is a regional dialect thing? I think it was the number of letters which prevented me from using "DJ Fuckknuckle & The Outlaws of Word Processing & Spreadsheetery" as my screen name for this site.
I used grep on the word list on the spell checker on this computer and found strengths for the longest but I imagine there has to be another one somewhere. Butttheif was not even in the word file, or any other with a triple consonant.
One good word, especially for Scrabble players, is the word aeaeae, which is a near synonym for magic.
How about the longest hyphenated English word, and the hyphenated word with the most pieces?
From http://www.mudslide.net/TopTen/lnwdxtra.html#extra46 from the Late Night With David Letterman television programme, both lists from 1989 I believe:
Top 10 Least-used Hyphenated Words
10. Lick-proof
9. Owl-flavored
8. Hat-resistant
7. Trunk-ripened
6. Gumbel-scented
5. Post-moistened
4. Hitler-riffic
3. Casket-tested
2. Pants-happy
1. Mookie-proofed
Top 10 Words Used Least in the Bible
10. Perky
9. Fudge-a-licious
8. Rootin'-tootin'
7. Buttinsky
6. Schweppervescence
5. Mall Bunny
4. Gas-guzzling
3. Yankee Fan
2. Boinnnng!
1. Slap-happy
What about German? There is Rindfleischetikettierungsüberwachungsaufgabenübertragungsgesetz; I actually have known folks in the Donaudampfschiffahrtselektrizitätenhauptbetriebswerkbauunterbeamtengesellschaft. German is full of triple consonants, like Fußballländerspiel and I have heard people make the case for quintuple-consonant words though I forget the word in question.
Swedish, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Croatian, Serbian, Russian, others. A language with a high or low average word length?
I think the records for heads of state and/or have been are Prime Minister O of South Korea at some point and President Rajaonarimampianina of Madagascar, also 11 syllables, in the last few years.
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