English is a wonderful language with some of the strangest pronunciation rules and words that come from many other languages. This is a list of 20 weird English words.
1. Erinaceous
Like a hedgehog
2. Lamprophony
Loudness and clarity of voice
3. Depone
To testify under oath
4. Finnimbrun
A trinket or knick-knack
5. floccinaucinihilipilification
Estimation that something is valueless. Proper pronunciation based on Latin roots: flockə-nowsə-nəkələ-pələ-fək-ation.
6. Inaniloquent
Pertaining to idle talk
7. Limerance
An attempt at a scientific study into the nature of romantic love.
8. Mesonoxian
Pertaining to midnight
9. Mungo
A dumpster diver – one who extracts valuable things from trash
10. Nihilarian
A person who deals with things lacking importance (pronounce the ‘h’ like a ‘k’).
11. Nudiustertian
The day before yesterday
12. Phenakism
Deception or trickery
13. Pronk
A weak or foolish person
14. Pulveratricious
Covered with dust
15. Rastaquouere
A social climber
16. Scopperloit
Rude or rough play
17. Selcouth
Unfamiliar, rare, strange, marvelous, wonderful. For example: The List Universe is such a selcouth website!
18. Tyrotoxism
To be poisoned by cheese
19. Widdiful
Someone who deserves to be hanged
20. Zabernism
The abuse of military power or authority. I wonder how long it will take for this one to show up in the comments.
zabernism sounds so cool… though i means abuse of milatary power,and i dont know when or if i will use it!!???
you forgot flibbertigibbit: nonsense
Acnestis: the spot on an animal’s back that it can’t reach to scratch
Good Lord, who comes up with these weird words that I see popping up on the internet? Most of the time I will be reading thews on the internet. I will come across some words
I never even heard off. Then ask myself. Were do them come up these news words? Or I should say who comes up with these new words?
Possibly my most favorite list on here. You should make another one!!!
did you know that ‘nudnik’ means “a pestering or irritating person”? (consise oxford english dictionary)
Mathilda your bro rocks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:)
D
yah Mathilda your bro rocks!
nudnik is such a cool word
I knew the flauccinaucinahillippipification one (:
I feel so smart :]
and i have a feeling i’ll be using selcouth quite a lot
Goddamit. This is totally a list of words douchebags use and I’ve actually used a few of these. *****.
I’m english and I haven’t heard of any of these.
I am english and i haven’t even heard any of these lol.
But i like the one about poisonous cheese and abuse f military power i might use these
What are your sources? Why don’t any of the articles at this site ever have any sources cited?
Ha, sure is interesting reading all this
is it true that ‘tintinnabulation’(i dont know how to spell) is the sound a bell makes? a friend told me it is and i wasnt sure lol
Yup. ;P
I’m sure don’t wanna use the word “floccinaucinihilipilification” ever, spoken or written. hahaha!
I don’t quite get where you get a ‘k’ sound for Latin ‘h.’
Maybe you should add: “Hippopotomonstrososquippedaliophobia” which means: fear for long words, lol
floccinaucinihilipilification is my fave
i recognize 3 greek words(2,8,18). the meaning (or the word themselves) is not weird at all in greek because thats exactly what they mean, and even a 8 year old child can use them here. i am sure that this is the case with most of these words here.
defenastration- to tbe thrown out a windom
“my heart is floccinaucinihilipilification.”
is it right?? i mean the usage.
my 4 favourite words are
bouncebackability – the ability to bounce back
jabberwocky – nonsense
hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia – fear of big words
and pognophobia – fear of beards
oh and a 5th
dumbledore – a type of bee
She deponed with erinaceous lamprophony
on the floccinaucinihilipilificated finnimbrun.
The judge declared the limerance was inaniloquent.
O the pronk was a pulveratricious nihilarian mungo, but with tendencies of phenakism and rastaquouere. Nudiustertian mesonoxia scopperloit leading to tyrotoxism and zabernism, a selcouth case with a widdiful bent.
When I was bored one day I started making up words in my head and this is what I came up with.
Ubbernozzle-to spin something or someone really fast.
Palenteric-to be really mean to some one.
Yakama-somthing that’s really discusting.
How about akimbo-with hand on hip and elbow bent outward.
O
^
You are educated When u have the ability To listen 2 almost anything Without losing ur Temper & self confidence!
I wonder how many people had ever heard 5 of these words before let alone knew what they meant.
Benjamin Koshkin
lamprophony comes from greek (λαμπρόφωνη) and it comes from lampros (λαμπρος = with light, loud, clarity) and fonee (φωνη = voice)… mesonyxian also from greek (μεσανυχτα/mesanehta = midnight) and many other in the list… well here in greece their not that unknown…
Great…I can use some of the words..;-) really weird!!!
banananananananananana is still the best word
playing with our latin/greek roots again eh! Give me 2 minutes and a good reference dictionary and I'll give you another "20 wierd English words"… sick of these idiotic lists made up by emo pricks.
@Libertine: de- + Latin word for window 'fenestra'
You forgot:
Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis.
It’s even longer than floccinaucinilipilification.
HAHAHAHAHA NERDS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!..
I always advised my students to use the powerful, simple words in their writing and speaking; however, to protect them from speakers and writers who use elevated diction to deceive, obfuscate, exaggerate or prevaricate, I also taught them many examples of elevated diction -for self defense. This list of 20 takes that level into the stratosphere.
HaHa Mungo i feel sorry for Mungo Park My favourite is Pronk
Also in the comments Jabberwocky ha
You’re right there, a, but it doesn’t matter because it is a made up definition anyhow. Nihilarian already means one who believes in Nihilism or having to do with Nihilism, and stretching that into “do-nothing” is ok but “trivialis” goes too far. I think a troll inserted this anyhow, because not only is the “h pronounced as k” dead wrong, it doesn’t even help with pronunciation. Nye Kye Larry Ann?
Nickle a Ryan? Give me a break. Of course, the definition and pronouncing h as k are what makes the word weird.
Thanks for word. I would like to use them.
it is nice if it is more unfamiliar words and all of them have or has example using sentences!
Y’all are so widdiful! I swear !!
i like the pictures………….::)
i like
I have difficulty in floccinaucinihilipilification when faced with a room full of linnimbruni… AKA a Pack-rat
Zabernism is a wierd, but funnny to say, word !
My favorite word is ker·fuf·fle/kərˈfəfəl/
Noun: A commotion or fuss.
Name
Etymology…so interesting to think that english comes from French and German…which comes from Latin in the end. Can you imagine the future of language?…
In a British public school defenestration usually refers to the hanging of a fellow pupil completely outside a window. It used to be quite a regular jape and the word was in common usage.
I believe that No.5 is the longest word in the English Language and can only be found in the OED (Oxford English Dictionary)
Name
you Erinaceous pronk
Hardly any of them are native English words, and many shouldn’t be in the English language in the first place.
Mesonoxian: comes from the latin medius meaning middle (became mezzo in italian) and nox, nocis meaning night. Easy dedcution from there.
wonderful!!!!!!!!!
in love this site
I use these words at school; best level in the class.
hi my name knaan i wanna to join u
good site.