10 Longest Words in the English Language
Hello dear readers, In our daily lives we read, write and use different words. But ever wondered what could be the longest English words. Here we have tried to find out the longest English words. It could be a bit difficult to pronounce the words. Give a Try.
How many words exactly are in the English language? The second edition of the current 20-volume Oxford English Dictionary contains 171,476 words in current use. That’s a lot! Which gets the mind thinking the next question, what’s the longest word in current use today?
Many of the longest words in the dictionary refer to medicine or chemistry. You’ll find a few defined in here along with other long words that you may or may not already use. Here’s how Merriam-Webster defines the ten longest words in the English language.
10. Strengths (9 letters)
This one is “only” 9 letters, but we’re including it because it holds the Guinness World Record for longest monosyllabic word in the English language. Only one vowel!
9. Sesquipedalianism (17 letters)
Having many syllables. Long sesquipedalian terms. Given to or characterized by the use of long words a sesquipedalian television commentator.
8. Incomprehensibilities (21 letters)
Impossible to comprehend. In the 1990’s, incomprehensibilities set the record as the longest word “in common usage.”
7. Thyroparathyroidectomized (25 letters)
A medical term that defines the excision of both the thyroid and parathyroid glands.
6. Honorificabilitudinitatibus (27 letters)
The longest word in Shakespeare’s works. Honorificabilitudinitatibus is the longest word in the English language featuring alternating consonants and vowels.
5. Antidisestablishmentarianism (28 letters)
Opposed or hostile to the social, economic, and political principles of a ruling class (as of a nation). Opposed to the establishment.
4. Floccinaucinihilipilification (29 letters)
The longest unchallenged nontechnical word that not all directories recognize, that including Merriam-Webster. According to alternative sources, floccinaucinihilipilification is the act or habit of describing or regarding something as unimportant, of having no value or being worthless. Often times, it is used in a humorous way.
3. Pseudopseudohypoparathyroidism (30 letters)
A relatively mild form of pseudohypoparathyroidism that is characterized by normal levels of calcium and phosphorus in the blood.
2. Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious (34 letters)
Perhaps the best word of all! Made popular by the film Mary Poppins, Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious is something to say when you have nothing to say.
1. Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis (45 letters)
Pneumoconiosis caused by inhalation of very fine silicate or quartz dust.