The English language is pretty wild. And by that, we mean that it contains some wacky words that seem too weird to be real, yet absolutely are. So if you appreciate a varied vocabulary and would like to embrace a wider range of words, then you’re in luck! We can help you bumfuzzle your friends with the funniest words that are undeniably fanty-sheeny and will leave you in a finifugal mood. If you don’t believe us—or have any clue what that means—then take a peek below to learn about the funniest words in the English language and how to use them.
1. Brouhaha
If you tweet something divisive the generates a lot of conversation, you might say that you started a bit of a brouhaha. That’s a way better word for it than «commotion» or «uproar.»
Example: «Her speech started a brouhaha on all the 24-hour news channels.»
2. Pettifogger
You’ve seen them in movies and on local commercials: lawyers who are willing to do anything to score a client or get a win. In other words, pettifoggers.
Example: «The prosecution’s pettifogger called some pretty shady witnesses.»
3. Sozzled
Hammered. Wrecked. Drunk. Forget all those boring words for being intoxicated—»sozzled» makes it sound almost sophisticated.
Example: «Don’t let him order another drink, he’s already sozzled.»
4. Wassail
If you enjoy warmed, spiced wine, you can get sozzled on wassail.
Example:
5. Inkle
Okay, so maybe this one only comes up in conversation if you’re a weaver, but it’s still a funny word. According to Merriam-Webster, an inkle is «a colored linen tape or braid woven on a very narrow loom and used for trimming.»
Example: «My inkle won’t stay in place!»
6. Mollycoddle
Have a lot of siblings? Your parents probably mollycoddle the youngest, meaning that they baby and indulge them, no matter what they do.
Example: «Stop mollycoddling her, she’s a grown woman!»
7. Skirl
If you travel to Scotland (or go to a Scottish pride event), you’ll almost certainly hear someone skirl, i.e. play the bagpipes.
Example: «Let’s get closer, the bagpipers are about to start skirling.»
8. Hoosegow
A wild night out could land you in the hoosegow for breaking the law. It’s just a funny word for jail!
Example: «Come on, we’ve gotta bail him out of the hoosegow.»
9. Rigmarole
Try to do anything with a government agency and it’ll be a lot of rigmarole. That can either mean a lot of circular discussion or just a generally tedious ordeal.
Example: «Let’s get the rigmarole of the paperwork taken care of.»
10. Impignorate
Despite the reputation of the animal within this word, impignorate actually means to pawn off or mortgage something in your possession.
Example: «I’m going to impignorate this watch for some extra cash.»
11. Bumfuzzle
We all find ourselves confused and flustered from time to time, perhaps even to the point where we might describe ourselves as perplexed. But if those words don’t quite capture your bewildered state of mind, then you may want to use the term bumfuzzle.
Example: «That movie was bumfuzzling and left me, well, bumfuzzled.»
12. Winklepicker
While a winklepicker sounds like it should refer to someone who picks winkles (whatever those might be), a winklepicker is, in fact, a shoe or boot that features a sharp-pointed toe.
Example: «I’ve been looking for the perfect winklepicker to go with these pants.»
13. Hullaballoo
A perfect example of a word that sounds like its meaning, hullaballoo refers to a ruckus or uproar that’s on the unpleasant side.
Example: «The hullaballoo was totally wild.»
14. Argle-bargle
Blah, blah, blah, some people like to drone on for as long as others are willing to listen and there are those particular kinds of mind-numbing conversations that never seem to end. Meaningless arguments and worthless chatter—whether done by talking or writing—is called argle-bargle.
Example: «This is just a bunch of pointless argle-bargle.»
15. Doodlesack
Scottish musicians are well-known for their skill with the bagpipes, but they’re not as famous for their talents with the doodlesack. And that’s kind of funny considering this funniest word is just another word for bagpipes.
Example: «What songs do you like to play on a doodlesack?»
16. Gobbledygook
Slang is one thing, but people who indulge in gobbledygook are a lot like turkeys who also gobble, gobble, gobble, or use language that is basically incomprehensible.
Example: «He sure likes to go on and on with the gobbledygook.»
17. Eeksie-peeksie
If you like everything in your world to be perfectly balanced or appreciate even numbers and identical amounts, then you like things to be eeksie-peeksie, which is a term for equal.
Example: «I think it should be eeksie-peeksie for each of us.»
18. Nudiustertian
No one would blame you for thinking that nudiusterian had something to do with being naked, perhaps representing a cheeky lifestyle that rejects clothes. But the word has nothing to do with showing off your body. Instead, it refers to the day before yesterday.
Example: «I went to work on that nudiustertian morning.
19. Gardyloo
Although we no longer toss garbage out of the windows the way people did years ago, it’s still helpful to know that if you hear someone shout «gardyloo» then you better watch out for flying trash, since that’s the appropriate warning to use.
Example: «Gardyloo and watch out!»
20. Tittynope
This is another word that might make you blush until you find out its perfectly innocent meaning. Tittynope is what you call a small amount of something that’s simply leftover.
Example: «There’s a tittynope of sugar in the bowl.»
21. Lackadaisical
If you know someone who’s rather lazy and fails to show any sort of enthusiasm or ambition, then they’re lackadaisical. It’s probably one of the funniest words because of all those syllables.
Example: «My coworker never gets his work done because he’s lackadaisical.»
22. Snickersnee
Snickersnee is certainly a funny word, but the item behind its meaning is no joke. The term refers to a large (and obviously super sharp) knife.
Example: «That’s not a snickersnee. This is a snickersnee.»
23. Flibbertigibbet
Some people are unreliable and don’t seem to be bothered by their own silly vibe. And while we generally accept that they’re the flighty ones among us, you could also call that certain someone a flibbertigibbet.
Example: «My flibbertigibbet friend failed to show up again.»
24. Fanty-sheeny
If you like the finer things in life—and to show them off—then you appreciate anything that’s fanty-sheeny, which is a word that can be used for someone or something that’s fancy or even ostentatious.
Example: «Her house was filled with fanty-sheeny furniture.»
25. Cattywampus
If something is askew, awry, or lined up in a way that’s not totally straight, such as diagonally—basically, slightly off-center or not quite right—then it’s not just annoying, you could say it’s cattywampus.
Example: «The books on the desk are all cattywampus.»
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26. Woebegone
If you know that «woe» is a word for sadness, then it might seem like woebegone is a term for wanting sadness to go away. But since «begone» is actually an old word for being within something, it turns out that woebegone is actually one of the funniest words for being in a sad state.
Example: «He was left woebegone, but hopeful.»
27. Taradiddle
It may seem like pretentious nonsense to use as silly of a word as taradiddle to describe, well, pretentious nonsense, but it would certainly suitable since that’s exactly what taradiddle means.
Example: «His stories are more taradiddle than truth.»
28. Maltipoo
The next time you’re thinking about getting a new pet, perhaps you’ll consider a Maltipoo, which is a cross-breed originating from a Maltese terrier and a miniature or toy poodle. Otherwise, you could also consider a Puggle (a pug and beagle mix) or a Dorgi (a dachshund and corgi cross).
Example: «I just adopted the cutest Maltipoo puppy.»
29. Wabbit
Cartoon character Elmer Fudd was famous for calling Bugs Bunny a «wascally wabbit,» which we assumed was because of his particular way of speaking. But perhaps he was actually using the word wabbit, which means weary or exhausted.
Example: «You wabbit rabbit.»
30. Borborygmus
When your insides make a little noise, you can accurately call that borborygmus. That’s the word for the noisy rumbling and gurgling that comes from your midsection. It’s caused by fluids or gas moving in your intestines.
Example: «Can you hear my belly borborygmus?»
31. Funambulism
If you’re looking for a new pastime and prefer extreme endeavors, you could take up skydiving or white water rafting. But you might want to try funambulism instead, which is another way to say tightrope walking.
Example: «I always thought funambulism looked fun—but I’m afraid of heights, so no thanks.»
32. Widdershins
Counterclockwise is rather fun to say, but take things up a notch wonky word-wise when referring to which way you’re heading by saying that your walking widdershins, which is another word for counterclockwise.
Example: «I took a path widdershins through the forest.»
33. Collywobbles
If you’re experiencing stomach pain or queasiness, whether it’s due to illness or anxiety, then you’re feeling collywobbles, a term for that icky feeling.
Example: «I have some collywobbles happening in my tummy.»
34. Quomodocunquizing
While the word looks rather complicated, it’s meaning is simple. Quomodocunquizing is a way to describe something (or someone) who makes money in any way possible.
Example: «He’s a quomodocunquizing businessperson.»
35. Diphthong
When you combine two vowel sounds together in one word to create something a little different, then you’re using a diphthong.
Example: «The sound ‘oy’ in boy or toy is a diphthong. So is the ‘ou’ in you or loud.»
36. Bloviate
If you were given the task of coming up with a word to describe a person who likes to ramble on, then you might opt for something like bloviate, which is the perfect term for your local windbag.
Example: «That guy couldn’t resist bloviating at the party.»
37. Gubbins
While gibbons are the adorable primates that spend their days swinging through the rain forest, gubbins is something totally different. Instead of being cute creatures, they’re miscellaneous bits and pieces or gadgets.
Example: «The drawer is filled with random gubbins.»
38. Blatherskite
There are plenty of terms for people who like to use words to their full extent (or perhaps even overuse language), which is why we also have blatherskite to describe the kind of person who can’t self-edit and cares more about making noise than making sense.
Example: «My ex is a boring blatherskite.»
39. Snollygoster
Any time you cross paths with someone who’s a snollygoster, then it’s time to head in the other direction. Although they may be a person who’s shrewd, they’re also more likely to be the villain than the hero, which means you’ll want to be wary.
Example: «My nemesis is a snollygoster.»
40. Finifugal
Finifugal is not only a fear of finishing things, it’s also the term you can put into use any time you get the desire to prolong a final moment or prevent a seemingly inevitable ending.
Example: «I have a finifugal vibe towards this funniest words article I’m reading on Best Life.
Did you know the English language is the most complicated language to learn as a second language (Japanese is a close second)? Not so surprising when you think about words like, they’re, there and their. And not to mention the confusing plural nouns, like goose is geese, but moose as a plural is moose. To celebrate the beauty, the sophistication and the history of the English language there is even a holiday on April 23rd each year named English Language day (which is also William Shakespeare day – The famous English writer). While there are millions of brilliant words in the English Language, today we look at over 100 of the funniest words in the English language. I hope you love them, as much as I do!
Funny Words starting with A:
- Abibliophobia: The fear of running out of reading materials to read.
Sentence: I have so many reading materials in my house, anyone would think that I have Abibliophobia or something!
- Abozzo: A rough sketch of a drawing or a draft poem.
Sentence: I’m almost finished with my abozzo of the Eiffel tower.
- Ama: Japanese diver who dives for pearls or food.
Sentence: Amas have been diving for pearls in the Japan region for many years.
- Araba: A carriage or coach used in Turkey.
Sentence: I’m taking the araba through the city today.
- Argle-bargle: A lot of commotion or a row happening.
Sentence: What’s all this argie-bargie about?
- Aye-aye: A type of lemur which can be found in Madagascar.
Sentence: The aye-ayes are such cute little creatures.
Starting with B:
- Bamboozled: To trick or confuse someone.
Sentence: I have been bamboozled again by you.
- Blubber: This word has two meanings: It can mean to cry very loudly or could refer to excess body fat.
Blubber Sentence: Please, stop your blubbering.
- Brouhaha: An event which involves great excitement or loud confusion.
Brouhaha in a sentence: Last night’s event was such a brouhaha and nothing was achieved.
- Bumbershoot: A Bumbershoot is an old-fashioned word for an umbrella.
Bumbershoot in a sentence: Don’t forget your Bumbershoot, dear.
- Bumfuzzle: This refers to being confused.
Bumfuzzle in a Sentence: I’m completely bumfuzzled!
Starting with C:
- Cantankerous: Someone who is very grumpy.
Sentence: Our neighbour is such a Cantankerous.
- Catawampus: Something positioned diagonally.
Sentence: To get to the school, you need to walk catawampus across that park over there.
- Collywobbles (kol-ee-wob-uh lz): This is the feeling when you have a stomach ache or when you feel really nervous or scared.
Collywobbles in a sentence: This place gives me the collywobbles, let’s go!
Hilarious Words Starting with D:
- Dingy: Something that is dark and dull.
Sentence: This house looks a little dingy to me.
- Donnybrook: This refers to a fight, riot or a big brawl.
Donnybrook in a sentence: A Donnybrook broke out last night when the police when to arrest the leader of the operation.
- Doozy: Something that is really great.
Sentence: I’m having a doozy of a time at this party.
- Dweeb: This is not a nice word to call someone. It means that you think the person is boring and uninteresting.
Sentence: No-one wants to be a dweeb.
Funny Words That Start With E:
- Egad: Used as an expression of shock or amazement.
Sentence: Egad! I never thought of that!
- Eep: Another expression of surprise or fear.
Sentence: Eep! That was scary!
- Epos: Could refer to an epic poem or something that is epic.
Sentence: That poem was just epos!
Starting with F:
- Filibuster: Somone who refusing to give up the floor in a debate to prevent a vote.
Sentence: Someone get that silly filibuster out of here now!
- Flibbertigibbet (flib·ber·ti·gib·bet): Is a word used to describe someone who talks a lot or is very gossipy.
Flibbertigibbet in a sentence: Imagine sitting on a 12-hour flight with a flibbertigibbet next to you.
- Flabbergasted: To be surprised or shocked by something.
Sentence: I’m just flabbergasted to hear that.
- Formication: The feeling that ants are crawling on your skin.
Sentence: Her constant shivering could be described as a formication.
- Fuddy-duddy: Someone who is a mild-mannered person.
Sentence: He can be such a fuddy-duddy sometimes.
Starting with G:
- Gaberlunzie: A beggar that walks around town to town.
Sentence: He didn’t really have a profession, some may even call him a gaberlunzie.
- Gardyloo (gahr-dee-loo): This is a disgusting one. It refers to the cry people use to shout when they would throw their slops or droppings out of the window.
Gardyloo in a Sentence: Watch out, Gardyloo coming!
- Gazump: This word really has a specific meaning. It means to refuse to sell your house to someone who you previously agreed to sell your house to.
Sentence: I’m so happy my offer to buy the house next door was accepted, but what if I get gazumped?
- Gobbledygook: Speaking Nonsense.
Sentence: Why do you always have to speak such Gobbledygook?
- Goombah: An older friend who protects you.
Sentence: Jamie didn’t have many friends, but was glad that his grandpa could be his protector – His Goombah.
- Gubbins: These are objects of very little value like rubbish or litter.
Gubbins in a sentence: No one’s going to buy your gubbins.
Starting with H:
- Hairball: A ball of hair that a cat normally chokes out.
Sentence: Cats are cute, but I hate it when they throw-up hairballs everywhere.
- Hocus-pocus: A trick or magical spell.
Sentence: What’s all this hocus-pocus about?
- Hokey: Something is is silly or old-fashioned.
Sentence: Now that was hokey old movie to watch!
- Hootenanny: A country music party or get-together.
Sentence: I’m going to an old-fashioned Hootenanny on Saturday, would you like to come?
- Heckler: Someone who interrupts a public performance with offensive comments.
Sentence: Those footballers are always having to deal with hecklers at their matches.
Starting with I:
- Itty-Bitty: Something that is really small or tiny.
Sentence: That ladybird is so itty-bitty.
- Ickle: Something that is small and normally cute
Sentence: Look at that ickle baby dolphin!
- izzat: This relates to your personal respect and dignity.
Sentence: I’m afraid of saying that in public, as it’ll be against my izzat.
Starting with J:
- Jabberwock: Something that is complete nonsense or gibberish
Sentence: Everything he just said was complete Jabberwock.
- Jazzetry: The reading of poetry which is accompanied by jazz.
Sentence: I love reading poems, but I’ve never tried jazzetry.
- Jink: The sudden change in direction.
Sentence: He jinked out of the way, as the ball came towards him.
Fun Words Starting with K:
- Kagu: An blueish-greyish type of bird which is now an endangered species.
Sentence: The rare Kagu can be found in the Pacific island of New Caledonia.
- Kaka: A breed of parrot that can be found in New-Zealand.
Sentence: The kaka parrots are so cool!
- Kebbie: A Scottish term relating to a walking stick with a hooked end.
Sentence: Pass the old man his keebie.
- Kibble: Ground meal or gains used as animal feed.
Sentence: The chickens love this new brand of kibble.
- Kraken: A mythical sea creature.
Sentence: Just like the loch ness monster, the Kraken is a myth.
Starting with L:
- La-di-da: If you described someone as “La-di-da”, you are suggesting that they are upper-class or behaving unnaturally only to impress other people.
La-di-da in a sentence: She thinks she is all La-di-da, but I know what she’s really like.
- Lol: Short for laughing out loud. Mosting used on social media and in text messages.
Sentence: Lol – That’s so funny!
- Lollygagger: Someone who walks around with no aim or goal.
Sentence: They spent their summer lying about, eating and general lollygagging.
- Lickety-split: When something moves really fast.
Sentence: He was out of the door lickety-split.
Starting with M:
- Malarkey: An informal word for talking about meaningless things or nonsense.
Malarkey in a sentence: This is all malarkey, I tell ya!
- Moist: Something that is slightly wet.
Sentence: This blanket seems a little moist to sit on.
- Mollycoddle: To be extra nice to someone or to overprotect them.
Sentence: Sometimes what a child needs is some tough love and not mollycoddling all the time.
Starting with N:
- Nacket: A light lunch or snack.
Sentence: I’m going to have a quick nacket before dinner.
- Namby-pamby: Someone who is weak, with no backbone.
Sentence: I don’t want to be some namby-pamby little girl!
- Napoo: The end of something. A term mostly used by soldiers.
Sentence: Napooh! That’s the end of that story.
- Niff: Something that smells bad.
Sentence: It’s got that horrible fishy niff.
- Nincompoop: This refers to someone who is not intelligent or a fool.
Nincompoop sentence: You act like such a nincompoop sometimes.
Starting with O:
- Obi: A sash worn around the waist of a kimono.
Sentence: That pink obi would look nice with this kimono.
- Oozy: Something that is slimy and wet
Sentence: That table is dripping in ooze.
- Oompah: The sound of deep brass instruments in a band.
Sentence: The oompah music in the background really set the tone.
Starting with P:
- Panjandrum: Someone who thinks that they are superior to others.
Sentence: She’s no queen, but she saw acts like a panjandrum.
- Patroon: The captain of a ship
Sentence: Look sharp, the patroon will be here soon.
- Pettifogger: A pettifogger is someone who deals with small or petty businesses. It can also be to argue over small, unimportant matters.
Pettifogger in a sentence: Why do you look up to such a pettifogger?
Starting with Q:
- Quab: Something that is incomplete or immature
Sentence: That baby bird is still just a quab.
- Quark: Scientific term used to describe atoms which are made up of smaller particles.
Sentence: Understanding quarks of fundamental to the world of physics.
- Quoz: Something that is strange.
Sentence: That’s so quoz! No-one wants to eat cheese and ice-cream together!
Silly Words Starting with R:
- Ratoon: This refers to the small root that sprouts from a plant, especially during the springtime.
Sentence: I heard somewhere that ratooned plants grow taller and healthier.
- Rugrat: Refers to a young child or toddler
Sentences: Those rugrats don’t know what’s coming to them!
- Ruddy: The term sometimes can be used to suggest good health in a person.
Sentence: That ruddy-faced girl was someone I never seen before.
Starting with S:
- Sialoquent: Somone who splits while talking.
Sentence: My old science teacher was Sialoquent. I was always scared to go near him!
- Skedaddle: To ask some to leave or run away very quickly
Skedaddle in a sentence: This is no place to play your silly games, now skedaddle before I get you!
- Skullduggery Refers to dodgy dealings and some no good business.
Sentence: We need to put a stop to all this skullduggery around this town.
- Shenanigan: This is when someone is causing a lot of mischiefs or playing tricks.
Shenanigans in a sentence: What’re all the shenanigans about?
- Snollygoster (snol·ly·gos·ter): This refers to an unethical politician who is guided by personal advantage.
Snollygoster in a sentence: I don’t want any help from a snollygoster.
- Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious: Something that is really good. And the longest word in the English dictionary.
Sentence: Your cake is simply supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!
Starting with T:
- Tatterdemalion: A poor child wearing rags.
Sentence: I grew up like a tatterdemalion on the streets and now I’m a billionaire!
- Taradiddle (tar-uh-did-l): this is a small lie or when someone is speaking nonsense.
Taradiddle in a sentence: That’s such taradiddle – I don’t trust you at all!
- Thingamajig. A thing for which you have forgotten the name of.
Sentence: Can you pass that thingamajig over?
- Troglodyte: Someone that lives in a cave.
Sentence: All my life I’ve been living like Troglodyte cooped up in this house!
Starting with U:
- Uber: Something that is really great.
Sentence: That’s a really uber-looking coat you got there!
- Ube: Type of yam which is coloured purple
Sentence: You can make really nice curry using ube.
- Upsy-daisy: Lifting up a small child.
Sentence: Upsy daisy! It’s time for your nap.
- Urubu: A blank vulture found in South American.
Sentence: The Urubu is a rare species of bird found in America.
Starting with V:
- Vamp: To make something brand-new.
Sentence: Let’s vamp-up your car.
- Vexed: Something that is really annoying or frustrating.
Sentence: This puzzle has really got me vexed.
- veepstakes: A competition to find a party-s vice president.
Sentence: Have you prepared for the upcoming veepstakes?
Starting with W:
- Wabbit: A Scottish word referring to feeling exhausted or a little unwell.
Sentence: I’m feeling wabbit today.
- Widdershins (with -er-shinz): This refers to going in the opposite direction or going down the wrong path.
Widdershins in a sentence: Only widdershins going down that road.
Starting with X:
All words beginning with X are funny ones!
- Xanthoderm: A person with yellowish skin.
Sentence: This make-up makes my skin look a little Xanthoderm.
- Xebec: A small sailing-ship with square sails.
Sentence: Let’s take a ride on my new Xebec.
Starting with Y:
- Yabby: Refers to any Australian crayfishes used for food.
Sentence: These yabbies are going to taste delicious.
- Yachty: Relates to yachts.
Sentence: I have a yachty-looking T-shirt.
- Yaff: A type of bark.
Sentence: The dog yaffed at the mailman.
- Yawny: When you yawn or when something is boring
Sentence: That movie was a little yawny.
- Yahoo: A rube, a country bumpkin.
Sentence: What’s that yahoo doing here!
- Yerk: Pull or push something with a sudden movement.
Sentence; She yerked at the rope, as they tried to pull the bucket up from the well.
- yips: When a golfer misses an easy putt due to nervousness.
Sentence: Looks like he has the yips today.
Funniest Words starting with Z:
- Zaftig: Having a full-rounded figure.
Sentence: Her zaftig figure was admired by all.
- Zappy: Something that is lively and energetic.
Sentence: She looks very zappy today.
- Zazzy: Something that is shiny and flashy
Sentence: Jenny brought herself a new zazzy handbag to match her shoes.
- Zeze: A string instrument from South Africa.
Sentence: The sound of the zeze is unique in South Africa.
- Zizz: To take a short nap or sleep.
Sentence: James likes to take a 2-hour zizz every afternoon at 2 pm.
- Zoanthropy (zoh-an-thruh-pee): This is when someone believes that they are an animal.
Zoanthropy in a sentence: I think she suffers from a mild case of Zoanthropy.
What do you think of our selection of the funniest words in the English language? Do you have any more to add on? Let us know in the comments below. In the meantime, why not take a look at our post, 12+ Words Beginning with X Used in Sentences.
«The wriggly puffball giggled and guffawed as the jiggly bubby ended his yapping to upchuck.»
If that sentence made you laugh, it’s because it contains eight of the 10 funniest words in the English language, according to a new study.
Researchers in the UK took 5000 English words and had participants rate how funny they really were.
Computer scientists in Canada then looked at the results, and figured out just what makes them so funny. They found most funny words relate to one or more of six different categories — sex, bodily functions, insults, swear words, partying and animals.
«It turns out that the best predictor of funniness is not distance from one of those six categories, but rather average distance from all six categories,» said University of Alberta psych professor Chris Westbury.
«This makes sense, because lots of words that people find funny fall into more than one category, like sex and bodily functions — like boobs.»
- Are emojis killing off the English language?
Other features funny words often have include the letter K and the ‘oo’ sound found in ‘boobs’ and the even naughtier ‘cooch’, which made the top 10.
«Humour is, of course, still personal,» said Prof Westbury. » Here, we get at the elements of humour that aren’t personal; things that are universally funny.»
The top 10 funniest words, and what they mean
- Upchuck — to vomit
- Bubby — young boy
- Boff — have sexual intercourse
- Wriggly — twisting, or moving like a snake
- Yaps — talk in a shrill, insistent way
- Giggle — laugh softly
- Cooch — slang for a vagina
- Guffaw — laugh loudly
- Puffball — a kind of fungi
- Jiggly — bouncing up and down
But is ‘puffball’ funnier than ‘tinkle’? The latter featured in a completely different top 10 list produced by University of Warwick researchers last year, based on the same data looked at by the Canadians.
They found the funniest word we have in our arsenal is ‘booty’, followed by tit, booby, hooter, nitwit, twit, waddle, tinkle, bebop and egghead. Men across the board found sexual terms hilarious (including ‘orgy’ and ‘bondage’, which skewed the top 10 significantly; women showed more variety in their tastes, laughing at words like ‘juju’ and ‘humbug’.
Old people found ‘caddie’, ‘limey’ and ‘housewife’ amusing, while younger people laughed at ‘goatee’, ‘squaw’ and ‘gangster’.
The least funny words across all ages and gender were rape, torture, torment, gunshot, death, nightmare, war, trauma and rapist.
«We were wondering if certain words are perceived as funnier, even when read on their own — it turns out that indeed is the case,» said lead author Tomas Engelthaler.
The latest study was published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology.
Newshub.
what are some funny English words for students? What are some fun words to say? What are some cool English words? What are some weird English words? What are the 10 new words? what are some funny English words with their meanings?
In general, the English language contains about 490.000 words, in addition to another 300.000 technical terms. In written English, the most frequently used words are: “the”, “of”, “and”, “to”, “a”, “in”, “that”, “I”, “it”, “for”, and “as”; and he most used word in conversation is “I”.
The most overworked word in English is thought to be the word “set” which has 58 noun uses, 126 verbal uses, and 10 as a particular adjective.
On the other, English has a variety of interesting weird, strange, unusual, and wacky sets of words that are rarely used, or have gone completely out of fashion. These words might be incorporated into the daily conversation to add a more impressive but funny aspect to one’s spoken style.
Here is a compilation of some funnier kinds of English phrases and words, together with their meanings, that you probably never heard before.
What Are Some Funny English Words for Students? Top 20 Funny English Words You Probably don’t know
- Brouhaha – An uproar or noisy response.
- Cantankerous – Bad tempered or grumpy.
- Pratfall – A fall on the buttocks or an embarrassing action.
- Anencephalous – Absence of a brain.
- Discombobulate – To confuse someone.
- Doozy – Something really good.
- Rambunctious – Uncontrollably excitable or exuberant.
- Lollygag – To dawdle or spend time aimlessly.
- Borborygmus – Stomach rumbling.
- Shenanigan – Silly behaviour.
- Skullduggery – Deception or trickery.
- Fartlek – A training system for runners.
- Gobbledygook – Meaningless or nonsensical language.
- Canoodle – Hugging and kissing.
- Klutz – A clumsy or foolish person.
- Lickety-split – As quickly as possible.
- Flummox – To perplex or bewilder.
- Crudivore – Someone who eats raw food.
- Mollycoddle – To treat someone leniently.
- Kerfuffle – A mild scandal, commotion or fuss.
What Are Some Funny English Words for Students? 24 Funny Anagrams
An anagram is a word, name, or phrase formed by transposing or rearranging the letters of another, using the original letters only once.
The funniest and best anagrams are the ones that could link the new word, name, or phrase to the original one in some way, such as when ‘silent’ becomes ‘listen’ or ‘meal for one’ becomes ‘for me alone’.
- below = elbow
- A gentleman = Elegant man
- meteor = remote
- Debit card = Bad credit
- meal for one = for me alone
- Eleven plus two = Twelve plus one
- older and wiser = I learned words
- Hot water = Worth tea
- young lady = an old guy
- Vacation time = I am not active
- conversation = voice rants on
- Conversation = Voices rant on
- The eyes = They see
- Schoolmaster = The classroom
- act = cat
- The country side = No city dust here
- Dormitory = Dirty room
- Astronomers = No more stars
- the classroom = schoolmaster
- The Detectives = Detect thieves
- video game = give a demo
- Mummy = My mum
- A decimal point = I’m a dot in place
- Clint Eastwood = Old west action
What Are Some Funny English Words for Students? 18 Funny Puns
Puns are a little play on words – a clever word joke with a double meaning. Puns are frequently used in literature and advertising and take advantage of words, or similar sounding words, with multiple meanings, often to create a humorous situation or joke. Puns can sometimes be created unintentionally.
- Shoes are required to eat in the restaurant. Socks can eat anywhere they like.
- Let’s talk about rights and lefts. You’re right, so I left.
- Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana.
- When a clock is hungry it goes back four seconds.
- A boiled egg every morning is hard to beat.
- Two fish are in a tank. One says to the other, “Err…so how do you drive this thing?”
- I went to buy some camouflage trousers yesterday but couldn’t find any.
- I’ve been to the dentist many times so I know the drill.
- Every day is a gift that’s why we call it the present.
- Being struck by lightning is a shocking experience!
- Without geometry, life is pointless.
- Do hotel managers get bored with their jobs?”
- Two antennas met on a roof, fell in love and got married. The ceremony wasn’t much, but the reception was brilliant!
- A chicken crossing the road is truly poultry in motion.
- Two peanuts walk into a bar, and one is a·salted.
- The roundest knight at King Arthur’s table was Sir Cumference. He acquired his size from far too much pi.
- I went to a seafood disco last week….and pulled a mussel.
- She had a photographic memory but never developed it.
What Are Some Funny English Words for Students? 26 Nice Oxymoron Examples
An oxymoron is a figure of speech that uses contradictory words in conjunction, which means words that don’t appear to go well together.
A good example of an oxymoron comes from the debut album by English rock band Oasis, which is named ‘Definitely Maybe’.
- Act naturally
- Cruel kindness
- Almost exactly
- Alone together
- Clearly misunderstood
- Diet chocolate-cake
- Extinct Life
- Cool passion
- Freezer burn
- Good grief
- Exact estimate
- Living dead
- Awful good
- Minor catastrophe
- Working vacation
- Deliberate speed
- Near miss
- Passive aggressive
- Pretty ugly
- Sweet sorrow
- Festive tranquility
- Icy hot
- Small crowd
- Impossible solution
- Terribly pleased
- Genuine imitation
What Are Some Funny English Words for Students? 27 Palindromes Examples
Backward or forwards? It doesn’t really matter when we are talking about palindromes. In fact, Palindromes are words, phrases, or even numbers that can be read the same way, no matter the direction.
Words Palindromes Examples:
- Eye
- Pop
- Noon
- Level
- Radar
- Kayak
- Rotator
Longest Palindromic Words
- ‘Redivider’ is believed to be the longest palindromic word using common English.
- ‘Detartrated’ is a seldom used scientific word.
- ‘Tattarrattat’ was coined by writer James Joyce in a book called ‘Ulysses’.
- ‘Aibohphobia’ is a joke term used to describe the fear of palindromes.
Names Palindromes Examples:
- Eve
- Bob
- Otto
- Anna
- Hannah
Sentences Palindromes Examples:
- Evil olive.
- Mirror rim.
- Stack cats.
- Doom mood.
- Rise to vote sir.
- Step on no pets.
- Never odd or even.
- A nut for a jar of tuna.
- No lemon, no melon.
- Some men interpret nine memos.
- Gateman sees name, garageman sees nametag.
What Are Some Funny English Words for Students? The 100 Funniest Words in English
The Importance of Learning English
English is the language of international communication. With the rapid development of the Internet and the advent of ICT into every aspect of human life, English has become the modern lingua franca; that is, the means of gathering and spreading information, and the way to connect people all around the globe.
Therefore, The focus has shifted, from learning English as a second or foreign language to learning it as an international language. But why learn the English language?
- English is also the favored language of the world’s major airlines and international commerce.
- Over 80 percent of the world’s electronically stored information is in English.
- Over two-thirds of the world’s scientists read in English.
- English is an official language or has a special status in over 75 of the world’s territories.
- English is the main language of international business and academic conferences, science, technology, diplomacy, sport, international competitions, pop music and advertising
- Three-quarters of the world’s mail is written in English
- of the estimated 200 million users of the Internet, some thirty-six percent communicate in English
- Also, Speaking English has become more like a status symbol. All the companies are recruiting only those people who speak fluent and correct English.
Having a clear vision of how to start learning English as an ESL student is quite important. On the bestenglishpages.com website, we want to help learners to improve their English skills. Here, we try to make the process of learning English an interesting and enjoyable experience. learners and teachers of English will find a variety of engaging materials including lessons, worksheets, ESL posters and PDF, and plenty of other unique, useful, and high-quality content that cover many different categories, including grammar, writing, speaking as well as reading.
These fanty-sheeny words will bumfuzzle all your friends!
The English language is pretty wild. And by that, we mean that it contains some wacky words that seem too weird to be real, yet absolutely are. So if you appreciate a varied vocabulary and would like to embrace a wider range of words, then you’re in luck! We can help you bumfuzzle your friends with the funniest words that are undeniably fanty-sheeny and will leave you in a finifugal mood. If you don’t believe us—or have any clue what that means—then take a peek below to learn about the funniest words in the English language and how to use them.
1. Brouhaha
If you tweet something divisive the generates a lot of conversation, you might say that you started a bit of a brouhaha. That’s a way better word for it than “commotion” or “uproar.”
Example: “Her speech started a brouhaha on all the 24-hour news channels.”
2. Pettifogger
You’ve seen them in movies and on local commercials: lawyers who are willing to do anything to score a client or get a win. In other words, pettifoggers.
Example: “The prosecution’s pettifogger called some pretty shady witnesses.”
3. Sozzled
Hammered. Wrecked. Drunk. Forget all those boring words for being intoxicated—”sozzled” makes it sound almost sophisticated.
Example: “Don’t let him order another drink, he’s already sozzled.”
Check also: English Grammar MCQs
4. Wassail
If you enjoy warmed, spiced wine, you can get sozzled on wassail.
Example:
5. Inkle
Okay, so maybe this one only comes up in conversation if you’re a weaver, but it’s still a funny word. According to Merriam-Webster, an inkle is “a colored linen tape or braid woven on a very narrow loom and used for trimming.”
Example: “My inkle won’t stay in place!”
6. Mollycoddle
Have a lot of siblings? Your parents probably mollycoddle the youngest, meaning that they baby and indulge them, no matter what they do.
Example: “Stop mollycoddling her, she’s a grown woman!”
7. Skirl
If you travel to Scotland (or go to a Scottish pride event), you’ll almost certainly hear someone skirl, i.e. play the bagpipes.
Example: “Let’s get closer, the bagpipers are about to start skirling.”
8. Hoosegow
A wild night out could land you in the hoosegow for breaking the law. It’s just a funny word for jail!
Example: “Come on, we’ve gotta bail him out of the hoosegow.”
9. Rigmarole
Try to do anything with a government agency and it’ll be a lot of rigmarole. That can either mean a lot of circular discussion or just a generally tedious ordeal.
Example: “Let’s get the rigmarole of the paperwork taken care of.”
Read also: Uses of Prepositions MCQs
10. Impignorate
Despite the reputation of the animal within this word, impignorate actually means to pawn off or mortgage something in your possession.
Example: “I’m going to impignorate this watch for some extra cash.”
11. Bumfuzzle
We all find ourselves confused and flustered from time to time, perhaps even to the point where we might describe ourselves as perplexed. But if those words don’t quite capture your bewildered state of mind, then you may want to use the term bumfuzzle.
Example: “That movie was bumfuzzling and left me, well, bumfuzzled.”
12. Winklepicker
While a winklepicker sounds like it should refer to someone who picks winkles (whatever those might be), a winklepicker is, in fact, a shoe or boot that features a sharp-pointed toe.
Example: “I’ve been looking for the perfect winklepicker to go with these pants.”
13. Hullaballoo
A perfect example of a word that sounds like its meaning, hullaballoo refers to a ruckus or uproar that’s on the unpleasant side.
Example: “The hullaballoo was totally wild.”
14. Argle-bargle
Blah, blah, blah, some people like to drone on for as long as others are willing to listen and there are those particular kinds of mind-numbing conversations that never seem to end. Meaningless arguments and worthless chatter—whether done by talking or writing—is called argle-bargle.
Example: “This is just a bunch of pointless argle-bargle.”
15. Doodlesack
Scottish musicians are well-known for their skill with the bagpipes, but they’re not as famous for their talents with the doodlesack. And that’s kind of funny considering this funniest word is just another word for bagpipes.
Example: “What songs do you like to play on a doodlesack?”
16. Gobbledygook
Slang is one thing, but people who indulge in gobbledygook are a lot like turkeys who also gobble, gobble, gobble, or use language that is basically incomprehensible.
Example: “He sure likes to go on and on with the gobbledygook.”
17. Eeksie-peeksie
If you like everything in your world to be perfectly balanced or appreciate even numbers and identical amounts, then you like things to be eeksie-peeksie, which is a term for equal.
Example: “I think it should be eeksie-peeksie for each of us.”
18. Nudiustertian
No one would blame you for thinking that nudiusterian had something to do with being naked, perhaps representing a cheeky lifestyle that rejects clothes. But the word has nothing to do with showing off your body. Instead, it refers to the day before yesterday.
Example: “I went to work on that nudiustertian morning.
19. Gardyloo
Although we no longer toss garbage out of the windows the way people did years ago, it’s still helpful to know that if you hear someone shout “gardyloo” then you better watch out for flying trash, since that’s the appropriate warning to use.
Example: “Gardyloo and watch out!”
20. Tittynope
This is another word that might make you blush until you find out its perfectly innocent meaning. Tittynope is what you call a small amount of something that’s simply leftover.
Example: “There’s a tittynope of sugar in the bowl.”
21. Lackadaisical
If you know someone who’s rather lazy and fails to show any sort of enthusiasm or ambition, then they’re lackadaisical. It’s probably one of the funniest words because of all those syllables.
Example: “My coworker never gets his work done because he’s lackadaisical.”
22. Snickersnee
Snickersnee is certainly a funny word, but the item behind its meaning is no joke. The term refers to a large (and obviously super sharp) knife.
Example: “That’s not a snickersnee. This is a snickersnee.”
23. Flibbertigibbet
Some people are unreliable and don’t seem to be bothered by their own silly vibe. And while we generally accept that they’re the flighty ones among us, you could also call that certain someone a flibbertigibbet.
Example: “My flibbertigibbet friend failed to show up again.”
24. Fanty-sheeny
If you like the finer things in life—and to show them off—then you appreciate anything that’s fanty-sheeny, which is a word that can be used for someone or something that’s fancy or even ostentatious.
Example: “Her house was filled with fanty-sheeny furniture.”
25. Cattywampus
If something is askew, awry, or lined up in a way that’s not totally straight, such as diagonally—basically, slightly off-center or not quite right—then it’s not just annoying, you could say it’s cattywampus.
Example: “The books on the desk are all cattywampus.”
26. Woebegone
If you know that “woe” is a word for sadness, then it might seem like woebegone is a term for wanting sadness to go away. But since “begone” is actually an old word for being within something, it turns out that woebegone is actually one of the funniest words for being in a sad state.
Example: “He was left woebegone, but hopeful.”
27. Taradiddle
It may seem like pretentious nonsense to use as silly of a word as taradiddle to describe, well, pretentious nonsense, but it would certainly suitable since that’s exactly what taradiddle means.
Example: “His stories are more taradiddle than truth.”
28. Maltipoo
The next time you’re thinking about getting a new pet, perhaps you’ll consider a Maltipoo, which is a cross-breed originating from a Maltese terrier and a miniature or toy poodle. Otherwise, you could also consider a Puggle (a pug and beagle mix) or a Dorgi (a dachshund and corgi cross).
Example: “I just adopted the cutest Maltipoo puppy.”
29. Wabbit
Cartoon character Elmer Fudd was famous for calling Bugs Bunny a “wascally wabbit,” which we assumed was because of his particular way of speaking. But perhaps he was actually using the word wabbit, which means weary or exhausted.
Example: “You wabbit rabbit.”
30. Borborygmus
When your insides make a little noise, you can accurately call that borborygmus. That’s the word for the noisy rumbling and gurgling that comes from your midsection. It’s caused by fluids or gas moving in your intestines.
Example: “Can you hear my belly borborygmus?”
31. Funambulism
If you’re looking for a new pastime and prefer extreme endeavors, you could take up skydiving or white water rafting. But you might want to try funambulism instead, which is another way to say tightrope walking.
Example: “I always thought funambulism looked fun—but I’m afraid of heights, so no thanks.”
32. Widdershins
Counterclockwise is rather fun to say, but take things up a notch wonky word-wise when referring to which way you’re heading by saying that your walking widdershins, which is another word for counterclockwise.
Example: “I took a path widdershins through the forest.”
33. Collywobbles
If you’re experiencing stomach pain or queasiness, whether it’s due to illness or anxiety, then you’re feeling collywobbles, a term for that icky feeling.
Example: “I have some collywobbles happening in my tummy.”
34. Quomodocunquizing
While the word looks rather complicated, it’s meaning is simple. Quomodocunquizing is a way to describe something (or someone) who makes money in any way possible.
Example: “He’s a quomodocunquizing businessperson.”
35. Diphthong
When you combine two vowel sounds together in one word to create something a little different, then you’re using a diphthong.
Example: “The sound ‘oy’ in boy or toy is a diphthong. So is the ‘ou’ in you or loud.”
36. Bloviate
If you were given the task of coming up with a word to describe a person who likes to ramble on, then you might opt for something like bloviate, which is the perfect term for your local windbag.
Example: “That guy couldn’t resist bloviating at the party.”
37. Gubbins
While gibbons are the adorable primates that spend their days swinging through the rain forest, gubbins is something totally different. Instead of being cute creatures, they’re miscellaneous bits and pieces or gadgets.
Example: “The drawer is filled with random gubbins.”
38. Blatherskite
There are plenty of terms for people who like to use words to their full extent (or perhaps even overuse language), which is why we also have blatherskite to describe the kind of person who can’t self-edit and cares more about making noise than making sense.
Example: “My ex is a boring blatherskite.”
39. Snollygoster
Any time you cross paths with someone who’s a snollygoster, then it’s time to head in the other direction. Although they may be a person who’s shrewd, they’re also more likely to be the villain than the hero, which means you’ll want to be wary.
Example: “My nemesis is a snollygoster.”
40. Finifugal
Finifugal is not only a fear of finishing things, it’s also the term you can put into use any time you get the desire to prolong a final moment or prevent a seemingly inevitable ending.
Example: “I have a finifugal vibe towards this funniest words article I’m reading on Best Life.