Best word ever used

Twenty-Something Tuesday

While English is widely recognized as one of the most ridiculous and contradictory languages of all time ever, some words (many of which we obviously borrowed from other cultures) are particularly satisfying. Here are the 20 best words we at Literally, Darling could come up with.

1. Allele – write it in cursive and you’ll see.

2. Persnickety – It has a somewhat negative connotation, but just saying the word makes us smile.

3. Charming – Charming is a charming word, it’s like liquid gold in word form.

4. Bubbly – Even saying “bubbly” makes you feel bubbly and excited.

5. Claptrap – Simply because it’s fun to say.

6. Magic – Magic is just so magical, it’s a really evocative word.

7. Effervescent – Bright, happy, effervescent is just like its definition and another good word to write in cursive.

8. Spectre – Slightly creepy and spooky but deeper than say, “ghost.”

9. Incorporeal – Again, a tiny bit creepy but it gives you the sense of bordering on another spirit world.

10. Cafe – While it’s a French word, not English, cafe is just the perfect word for an eating place. Who wouldn’t want to go eat at cafe?

11. Vorpal – Not technically a real word except according to Lewis Carroll, it still sends shivers up your spine.

12. Lightning – It’s a sharp, jagged word that perfectly summons visions of lightning to mind.

13. Sea – It’s simple, it’s sweet and it sounds so much nicer than “ocean.” It’s a much more romantic, fairy tale type of word.

14. Autumn – Why do people use “fall” when they have a word like “autumn?” I don’t understand.

15. Clever – Reminiscent of Hermione Granger, “clever” is more than just intelligent it means you also know how to use it.

16. Crikey – needs to be brought to American vernacular ASAP.

17. Strumpet – It’s the best way to insult/confuse someone.

18. Fisticuffs – Cause I’ve always wanted to have a legitimate reason to use it.

19. Anthropomorphic – It’s a one word we use all the time, even incorrectly, because we love the way it sounds.

20. Fuck – There, we said it. It’s so versatile, in all its forms, and while it can perhaps be overused, it’s expressive and satisfying as hell.

What are some of your favorite words? Tweet us at @litdarling and let us know!

«Gherkin» — I like saying it. It’s vaguely Indian sounding. «Kerfuffle.» That’s just fun, with so many F’s packed into three syllables. «Diphthong» is sly because it’s hiding a silent H, the H right after the P; it’s there, but you wouldn’t know it. And «hornswoggle?» Just hearing it, I’m on the deck of a frigate, there are seagulls soaring above, and someone is playing a jig.

One of these four words, the «Final Four» in Ted McCagg’s «Best Word Ever» contest, became a champion this week.

You may or may not agree with McCagg, creative director of an ad agency in Portland, Ore., but it’s fun to watch him sort through his candidates, words he loves. He began (you can find the whole contest on his blog, and there’s an excellent description of his process by Megan Garber at TheAtlantic.com) with an alphabetical round. He and his wife plucked their favorite words out of the air and put them into brackets, a la March Madness. For example, here are their favorite P’s.

Here are their Y’s.

Then the regional winners were pitted against each other, so «kowtow» went up against «kerfuffle,» and «akimbo» fought with «xenophobe.»

«Diphthong» had to anticipate «sphincter» in the later rounds. No doubt at some sports bar in Las Vegas, there were folks betting for «onomatopoeia,» and against «eke» …

… until finally, «hornswoggle,» my personal favorite, for some reason was edged out by a word that describes two adjacent vowel sounds occurring in the same syllable.

The winner, the Best Word Ever, is «diphthong.»

Why «diphthong?» Could it be a subliminal suggestion of sexy underwear? No, Ted told TheAtlantic.com. It was the H. That silent H, he said, «made all the difference.»

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