Are you familiar with the range of fascinating English words out there? We’re betting you haven’t had a go at the official longest one, though. We won’t mention it in this post since it’ll span roughly fifty-seven pages! The word we’re referring to is the chemical name for the titin protein found in humans. But did you know that dictionaries omit the name of this protein and many other long words?
Obviously, dictionaries have space constraints, and the average person would not need to know the technical names of chemicals. Still, there are plenty of lengthy words in dictionaries.
English is a vibrant and creative language, and it is no wonder that there are words in the language that are certified tongue twisters. This isn’t only because they are long. But also because spelling and pronunciation require experience and expertise in the language. Here are the top 10 longest and most fascinating English words!
Countdown to the Most Fascinating English Words (and the longest too!)
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Honorificabilitudinitatibus
This 27-character word is found in Act V, Scene 1 of a Shakespeare play entitled Love’s Labour’s Lost. The word translates to Honorableness or invincible glorious.
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Floccinauccinihilipilification
This word is 30 characters long. Despite its use of flocci, the plural of floccus, which means tufts of wooly hair or small, rounded tufts of clouds, the whole word is not a scientific term. Floccinauccinihilipilification means trifling, of little or no value or something that has been estimated to be valueless.
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Hepaticocholangiocholecystenterostomies
This is a surgical term. The Gould’s Medical Dictionary defines hepaticocholangiocholecystenterostomy as the creation of a link or bridge between a hepatic duct and the gall bladder and between the gall bladder and the intestine to allow these organs to communicate. It is the longest word found in this medical dictionary.
7. Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis
The word is a name for a type of lung disease. It’s the disease suffered by the African miners when they inhale silicon silvers. It is the same as coal miners’ disease, caused by the particles of siliceous volcanic dust they inhale into their lungs.
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Antipericatametaanaparcircumvolutiorectumgustpoops
This is the title of a book written by François Rabelais, a 15th-century French Renaissance humanist, doctor, monk, and writer. The book describes the work of a giant named Gargantua and his son, Pantagruel.
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Osseocaynisanguineoviscericartilagininervomedullary
The word is a scientific term related to anatomy. It is one of the words coined by author Thomas Love Peacock and used in his first novel, Headlong Hall, published in 1816. It is actually a compound word created by combining classic Greek and Latin terms for parts of the body.
4. Aequeosalinocalcalinoceraceoaluminoscupreovitriolic
This very long word with 51 characters was created by 18th century English medical writer, Dr. Edward Strother. He coined the word to describe the spa waters in Bath, a city in England.
3. Bababadalgharaghtakamminapronnkonnbronntonnepronnt-
uonnthunntrovarrhounawnskawntoohoohoordeenenthurnuk
This 101-character word is found in the novel Finnegan’s Wake, written by Irish author James Joyce and published in 1939. This is said to describe the sound of the thunderclap that signaled the fall of Adam and Eve.
2. Lopadotemachoselachogaleokranioleipsanodrimhypotrim-
matosilphiparaomelitokatakechymenokichlepikossyphophat-
toperisteralektryonoptekephalliokiglopeleiolagoiosiraiobaph-
etraganopterygon
This term was used to describe the spicy foods that were cooked using remnants of beef and vegetables, a fictional dish mentioned in the comedy, Assemblywomen or Ecclesiazusae, written by ancient Greek comic playwright Aristophanes around 392 B.C.
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Surely no other word can beat this 1,902-character word for a type of protein which contains amino acids found in the DNA strand. Good thing it has a shortened form, connectin or titin. According to the 18th edition of the Guinness Book of World Records, it is considered the longest word in the English language.
Fun Facts About the Fascinating English Words
Although we’ve covered the longest words in English, it’s always good to learn something new. Here’s a look at some quirky and fun facts about the language:
Ghost Word
From 1932 to 1940, due to an error, there was a ghost word in the dictionary that had no meaning. The word was dord.
Oldest Word
Town is the oldest word in the English language; strengths is the longest word with just a single vowel; dreamt is the only word that ends with mt, and I am is the shortest complete sentence in English.
Old English
Today we use dared as the past tense of the verb dare. Its archaic past tense was durst.
Rhymes
Can you name rhyming English words for angel, bulb, month, orange and silver?
Single Syllables
Screeched is the longest one syllable word, while bookkeeping and bookkeeper are the two words that consecutively have double letters (oo, kk, ee).
Wrapping Up Fascinating English Words
And there you have some exciting insights into fascinating English words you might have yet to become familiar with! Even though English is a global language, there’s a lot about even the more common languages (like English) that we can all still learn! Ready to explore other languages or even broaden your horizons on the English language? Stay tuned to the Day Translations Blog!