Longest Words: You have been using English for quite a while now for writing, reading, thinking, and even dreaming. English, as a language, has become a part and do up of your life. But have you ever wondered about the unique and weird words in the English language? How many times have you thought of the number of words in the English language or the smallest word or the longest word in the English language? It is not every day that we think of such weird aspects of the English language because we are so used to speaking the language that we don’t take interest and dig deep into the interesting facts about this beautiful, yet universal language.
As a result of that, in this particular article on longest words in the English language, we are going to talk about these unique titbits in the English language. One interesting fact to be noted here is that the English language, as per the Oxford English Dictionary, has approximately 171,500 words so far. That is quite a lot of vocabulary to consume in one single life, isn’t it? Thus, we will discuss a few longest words that are mentioned in the Oxford English dictionary with their meaning.
- 10 Longest Words in English Language with Meaning
- Where Do We Use Longest Words?
- FAQs on Longest Words in English
10 Longest Words in English Language with Meaning
Below is a list of the 10 longest words in the English language, along with their meaning and usage:
- Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis: This massive 45-letter English word is the longest one in the Oxford English dictionary so far. This term refers to a lung disease that is caused by the inhalation of extremely fine particles of silica and quartz dust. Yes, now you know the longest word in the English language has 45 letters in it.
- Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia: This 36-letter, increasingly complicated word is one of the English language’s longest. With a whopping 36 letters and a difficult pronunciation, it is the word with the longest time taken for proper pronunciation. This word refers to having an abnormal fear of long words. The irony is that the name is hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia.
- Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious: Another competitor for the previous two words, with a whopping 34 letters. Also, this is one of the most popular long words in the English language. Its popularity grew after it was widely used in the film Mary Poppins. This word refers to saying something when you have nothing to say. There is a very catchy song written on this word, the most atrocious word in the English language, as per the song.
- Pseudopseudohypoparathyroidism: This soothing word for the ears is the fourth longest in the English language, with 30 letters. It refers to a mild disorder in the bloodstream that is mainly characterized by an increased level of calcium and phosphorus in the blood. Well, medical professionals and doctors will have a tough time pronouncing it for the rest of their lives.
- Floccinaucinihilipilification: another funny but important word is one of the longest words in the Mariam Webster dictionary, which has 29 letters in it. This word refers to a habit or an act that is unimportant or has no value or recognition. While the meaning of the word has no value or is worthless, the word itself has a lot of value in English literature academic circles. It is mostly used in a humorous manner.
- Antidisestablishmentarianism: This 28-letter-composed word refers to a 19th-century political turmoil experienced in the British Empire, which demanded the separation of the Church from the state administration. People in this movement wanted the Church of England to be deposed as the official state church of England, Ireland, and Wales.
- Honorificabilitudinitatibus: One of the most difficult words to pronounce in this article is “honorificabilitudinitatibus.” It is the longest word in the language of English and consists of a mix of vowels and consonants.
- Thyroparathyroidectomism: A 25-letter word is once again a technical and medical term. There are plenty of such words in the field of medicine that can make a doctor’s life more difficult as it is. This term refers to the removal or surgery of the thyroid and parathyroid glands. Once again, one should note that there are many such words in the field of surgery and medicine, and the reason for this is that most of these words are taken from a mix of languages such as Greek, Latin, Russian, and French.
- Dicholodifluromethane: This is the only straightforward word in this list of the longest English words that can be understood by laymen, to an extent. This word refers to a chemical vapor known popularly as CFCs, the most common element found in AC, TVs, and vehicular pollution. One must be aware that this chemical substance was the reason for the depletion of our ozone layer a few years ago.
- Incomprehensible: Again, a fairly popular word in the English language, which means something that is not possible to comprehend. This is also referred to as the longest word that is most commonly used by the general public
There are few other longest words in the English language other than the mentioned words in the above section of this longest word. However, these words are very niche in nature and are used by specific groups of people, such as scientists, doctors, astronauts, and engineers. There are plenty of chemical substances whose names are longer than the ones that are mentioned in this article on the longest words in the English language. While most of them are rarely used, it is interesting to know the meaning and usage of these words, both for general knowledge of the English language and just for the fun of it. A few of the technical words that we have come across that are long enough to feature in this article are:
- Radioimmunoelectrophoresis
- Counterimmunoeletrophoresis
- Dicholodiphenyltricholoethane
- Spookydisharmoniousconflicthellride
- Hexakosioihexekontahexaphobia
Where Are the Longest Words in the English Language Used Most Commonly?
It is clear by now that not all the words mentioned in this article are used by the common man. Hence, in that case, who uses these words and where are they used? The answers to these questions lie below:
- Doctors
- Engineers
- Scientists
- Teachers
- Researchers
- A Journalist
- Diplomats
- Administrators
If you observe closely, you will get to know that most of these words are technical and are related to chemistry, physics, mathematics, geometry, or geography. And hence, these words are rarely used, and even if they are used, they are used only by a specific section of the population.
FAQs on the Longest Words in the English Language
The frequently asked questions on the Longest words in the English language are explained below:
1. Which is the longest word in the English language?
Answer: Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis is the longest known word in the English language, as per the Oxford Dictionary of English.
2. Where are long words used?
Answer: Long words, which are mostly technical and are mainly used in scientific circles, are used in research papers, scientific journals, newspaper articles on science, and English literature textbooks.
3. Which is the most common longest word in English?
Answer: Incomprehensible is the longest word in English with the most common usage.
Conclusion
We would like to conclude that while the longest words mentioned above are not required by students, writers, or teachers to improve their vocabulary, knowing them is fun and increases mental horizons in English literature. It is also to be noted that this vocabulary will come in handy if you are having a conversation with a medical professional, an engineer, or a scientist who works in the fields to which these words are related.