10 Longest Words in the English Language
There are some words that we simply can’t spell or pronounce, even if they’re shorter ones. Then, there are monstrosities where you stare blankly at them and don’t even bother to come up with a pronunciation. The English language is filled with them, with some reaching over two dozen letters in length. Let’s take a look at 10 of those longest words in the English language and what they mean.
Thyroparathyroidectomized
This one is fairly easy to comprehend when you break it down, actually. Thyro, of course, has to deal with the thyroid, and that shows up twice in this lengthy word. To be ectomized is to be removed, so this word is for the surgical removal of not only the thyroid gland but the parathyroid gland, as well.
Honorificabilitudinitatibus
While this word is part of the English language, it’s completely derived from Latin words, leaving it hard to decipher for English speakers. Loosely, it translates into meaning ‘having the ability to achieve honors.’ Interestingly enough, this is by far the longest English word that alternates between consonants and vowels throughout and was used in “Love’s Labour’s Lost” by William Shakespeare.
Eellogofusciouhipoppokunurious
Now we get into the slang part of things, starting with this piece that first went into print back in 1934. While it doesn’t show up in the actual dictionary, it’s apparently one that got popular enough in certain parts of the country. Containing 30 letters in total, the definition is extremely simple as it means “very good.”
Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious
Out of all of the words on this list that you have a chance of saying correctly on the first try, it’s this one. That’s because the word was used in the song of the same name in the 1964 Disney film “Mary Poppins” starring Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke. Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious was a catchy piece that all of us could sing, and while it’s a nonsense word it was accepted as an English one. What’s the true meaning? Well, when you break it down, it turns out to be “Atoning for being educable through delicate beauty.” Simply put, “All is good.”
Antidisestablishmentarianism
After Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious, this is probably the other word that you can say off the top of your head. That’s because when we’re young, we’re typically taught that it’s the longest word. Based on how you determine the validity of word length, there’s truth to that. Antidisestablishmentarianism isn’t a scientific word, so it gets more recognition for its length, and it means to be in the thought that a church of the state should keep receiving “government patronage.”
Floccinaucinihilipilification
Have you ever had the feeling that typically comes with depression where everything seems worthless or unimportant? There’s actually a word for that, and it’s floccinaucinihilipilification. Since it’s not cited as a medical term, though, there are many that call this the longest word. There is some debate, as some attribute this to mental health, while others say it’s just a string of Latin stem words created just for its length.
Pseudopseudohypoparathyroidism
Now we get to the medical portion of the list where things get really interesting, starting with pseudopseudohypoparathyroidism. Most people know that pseudo means fake, and it’s interesting to see it used back-to-back in this lengthy word. The overall definition, though, is that it’s a condition where you’re short, have a round face, and have short hand bones.
Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia
We’re sorry if we startled you by including this word in the list. If you were startled, that’s because Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia is actually the term for the fear of long words. While many are off-put by long words, the amount of people who have a phobia of them is almost none.
Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis
Certain words were made up simply to be long, and this is one of them. Everett M. Smith came up with this word while president of the National Puzzlers’ League as he wanted to come up with the longest possible that could have an actual meaning. Simply put, it means to contract a lung disease of fine ash and sand dust. It’s the longest word in the English dictionary.
Methionylthreonylthreonylglutaminylarginyl…isoleucine
The reason why we didn’t type this whole word out is because it would take days to do so and even hours just to pronounce. This one stands at a total of 189,819 letters and represents the chemical composition of titin, the largest known protein to man.