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 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.
Words are fun when they sound ridiculous or force speakers to attempt amusing pronunciation. The Italian language has several funny words, but there are numerous memorable cases in other languages, too.
Funny words that have been forgotten
Zuzzurellone (playful idler) is famous in the Italian language for being the last word in the dictionary and also one of its funniest words due to the repeated use of the ‘zu’ syllable. It also has a comical meaning: it’s used to describe a playful person who is always up for a joke, and who is bit of a layabout but also very nice. Unfortunately, this is one of many Italian words to have fallen into disuse, and many speakers don’t even know what it means!
While on the topic of funny words, we can’t fail to mention one that’s used to describe something strange, unusual and somewhat freaky. It looks like the combination of the words gancio (hook) and porro (leek), but it has absolutely nothing to do with hooks or vegetables, the word ganciporro means a huge mistake.
Vattelappesca is formed of several words that have been joined together to make a phrase that is used very little in modern times. It means ‘who knows!’ and you use it when someone asks you a question and you have no idea what the answer is.
Funny English words (that you might not have heard of)
English is one of the most popular languages in the world and is one of the more frequently spoken in Italy, given that it’s part of the school curriculum. At school, however, Italians are often not taught about funny English words that are well and truly onomatopoeic.
Nincompoop is a very funny word that is essentially used to describe a foolish or stupid person. Perhaps the Brits thought using a funny word might make people less offended!
Shenanigans is a bit of a tongue twister and sounds like something a snake might say. In this case, the sound facilitates the word’s understanding, since it’s used to describe secret, dishonest actions, or a prank. Snakes have been associated with deception since the beginning of Christianity, and it likely has something to do with the origins of this word.
Goggle has nothing to do with the world’s most famous search engine. In fact, it means to look at someone with wide eyes in total amazement. It also sounds a bit like a hiccup, such as the ones you get when someone makes you jump!
What about funny German words?
German has a reputation for being a hard, angular language, meaning that it’s not exactly best suited to declarations of love or reciting poetry in the moonlight. That being said, it does have some funny words that are really worth learning about.
Drachenfutter literally means ‘dragon food.’ And although the word itself might not make you laugh, it has a brilliant meaning. Drachenfutter is a strategy used to desperately appease someone after slipping up. Did you forget your wedding anniversary? Take your partner out for dinner, it will calm the dragon!
In conclusion, the German in its complexity can understand unexpected terms and meanings, for more information on the language consult the German translations page.
A new study analyzed 5,000 words to find the funniest and least funny. And booty booty booty booty is rockin’ everywhere.
I’ve spent the past 14 years working as a comedy writer and, in that time, I can’t even begin to tabulate how much time I’ve spent trying to pick the *perfect* words for maximum humor impact.
Turns out I should’ve just channeled Bubba Sparxx or the Ying Yang Twins and called it a day.
Two psychologists from the University of Warwick in the U.K. recently published the results of their study (summary here; full dataset here), which attempted to quantify humor. They had test subjects all over the world rank the humorousness of 4,997 different words and, ultimately, found the universally funniest and least funny words in the English language.
Maybe.
Here are their results for the 11 funniest words in the world…
1 | Booty
2 | Tit
“Titty” wasn’t included, which is weird, because (I’d think) it’s a much funnier version of the word.
3 | Hooter
4 | Booby
I’m seeing a pattern emerge.
5 | Nitwit
6 | Waddle
7 | Twit
This is one of those words that makes British people lose their minds while everyone else looks on confused.
8 | Tinkle
9 | Twerp
10 | Egghead
11 | (tie) Floozy and Oomph
Words that just missed the cut: Bebop… pecker… ass… buffoon… cahoots… oink… crotch… and douche.
—
Here are how some other notably funny words finished:
37 | Cuckoo
Krusty the Clown would be devastated that this is the highest “comedy k”-heavy word on the list.
76 | Joke
If there are any bits of insight into human nature to glean from the list, I’d say they are: (1) people love slang term for body parts (2) we all hold ourselves to a high enough standard that someone simply saying “joke” isn’t enough to make us ready to laugh.
145 | Fatty
Performed MUCH better than fat (3405th place).
179 | Muff
How did the best of the body part slang terms perform this poorly?
183 | Trump
The lowercase version “trump,” but still.
206 | Seaman
Wrong. (By the way, “semen” was 564th.)
536 | Breast
It’s safe to say that slang terms for “breast” got much better reactions.
1938 | Bondage
This word had the largest male-slanted gender divide: Men think it’s funny, women REALLY don’t.
2497 | Wiring
The innocuous, indifference-inspiring midpoint of the study. Half of words are funnier, half are less funny.
4977 | N*****
There were 20 words that ranked less funny. Hopefully because of famous Chris Rock and Dave Chappelle comedy bits around the word and not, you know, the 2017 of it all.
4997 | Rape
The least funny word in the entire study.
—
I really should’ve structured this post differently so it ended on the funny words, not the super depressing ones.
Anyway, I’m off to twittle my muff. (Am I doing this right?)
«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.
There are approximately seven thousand languages used in the world today, with most of them existing in Asia and Africa. Still, like water, English is the universal language of the world. Out of more than one hundred seventy-thousand words in the English language, there are bound to be words that would sound humorous, would be fun to say over and over, and would just be plain entertaining. Here are ten of the funniest words in the world. Some words in the list are uncommon, used in an era so old that automobiles were not yet invented. Some words are pretty common, regular words used in everyday conversation. And most words here just, well, sound really funny. So, here we go, try not to laugh while reading.
10. Skedaddle
verb ske·dad·dle ski-ˈda-dᵊl
“Let’s skedaddle! Let’s go!”
This word is defined as to run away, scram or to flee in panic.
Skedaddle is one of the most common and famous words in this list. It’s also one of the funniest here. Let’s take a step back and skedaddle for a minute. To trace the history of the word, it requires skedaddling back to the historic American Civil War. Historians claim the word was used more than once in written accounts during the war. Incidentally, they used skedaddle to describe a platoon or a regiment retreating quickly or fleeing. In strict military lingo, the word skedaddle has an undesirable undertone of cowardice.
There is also the British word, scaddle, meaning to run off in a fright or to spill. Several Middle English, Norse, Old English, and Greek variations mean harmful or scatter. This word also has been used numerous times in action and comedy films, in a manner that is playful and comical. Most often the protagonist is shouting out to his mates, ‘Let’s skedaddle!’ Wherever this word originates from, skedaddle is one funny word for sure! What are we waiting for? Let’s skedaddle onto the next word in the list!
9. Discombobulate
verb dis·com·bob·u·late ˌdis-kəm-ˈbä-b(y)ə-ˌlāt
“Don’t try to discombobulate me with your fancy Harvard words!” “I don’t understand, it’s discombobulating!” “I… am… discombobulated.”
This word is defined as upset, distraught or confused; discombobulated or discombobulating.
There is no written record of the origin of the word discombobulate. It is believed to have appeared in some written works in the United States as early as the 1800s and believed to have been derived from the words discompose or discomfit. It most definitely is not derived from the root word combobulate, because combobulate is not a word. It’s not one of those words like disrespect or displace. It’s more like the words disdain and discuss.
So, if one is worthy of consideration, they then will be dained. And if one was fired from their job and are hired again, did they get placed or re-placed? It is not true for both. Just like it is incorrect to say that when one is no longer confused, they are now combobulated. Some words require further explanation, but that is beside the point. The point is that discombobulated is a fun word, and that one should say it as often as one can! Here’s to hoping no one was discombobulated with what they just read here, so let’s move on!
8. Bumbershoot
noun bum·ber·shoot ˈbəm-bər-ˌshüt
“Under my bumbershoot, ershoot, ershoot, shoot, shoot, shoot.” It’s still quite catchy!
This word is defined as umbrella; a collapsible shade used as protection from weather like sun and rain, consists of fabric stretched over hinged spokes radiating from a central rod. It is also defined as a device or contraption one uses when one wants to go outside to frolic, dance and sing in the rain.
This word definitely sounds British. Read this with your best James Bond accent: “Bollocks! I left my bumbershoot in the tube!” Bumbershoot is actually an American, not British, slang for umbrella. The slang term for umbrella in the United Kingdom is brolly.
Much like discombobulate, bumbershoot is another word for which the origin is unclear. But intelligent speculation points to a rather entertaining retort. The first part, bumber, could have come from the first part of the word umbrella, umbre-; and the second part, -shoot, from the last part of the word parachute, -chute. Do you get it? Because an umbrella kind of looks like a small handheld parachute. Yeah, you get it! Just don’t try to jump out of a perfectly good airplane with nothing but a bumbershoot with you.
7. Titmouse
noun tit·mouse ˈtit-ˌmau̇s
“Look! Up in the sky! It’s a bird! It’s a plane! No, it’s a titmouse!”
This word is defined as a small North American oscine bird (genus Baeolophus of the family Paridae) which is a distant cousin to the chickadee. The titmouse has a small bill and a long tail, it is also called the tufted titmouse.
Animals can look quite funny sometimes. Take a look at the tarsier and the axolotl. Animal names can be quite funny too. Enter the titmouse. A titmouse looks nothing like a mouse. It most definitely does not look like, or in any way perks up or is shaped like a tit. And forget about two tits, or three! The bird titmouse does not look anything at all like its name.
Titmouse comes from the words, tit, meaning something small; and some variation of the word mouse. From Old English, māse; from German, meise; from Proto-Germanic, maison; all words mean little or tiny. The Anglo-Saxon word mouse meant a small bird as well. Titmouses (not titmice) are common birds in the eastern side of the Great Plains and some parts of southern Ontario, Canada. If you are around those areas, you might have already laid eyes on a titmouse.
6. Nipple
noun nip·ple ˈni-pəl
“My nipples, they hurt!” “Why do men have nipples?” “Ouch! You flicked my nipple!”
This word is defined as the protuberance of the mammary gland or glands upon which in the female, lactiferous ducts open and from which milk is drawn; an artificial teat through which a bottle-fed infant nurses.
Booty is actually the word voted in some psychological and scientific researches and studies as the funniest word in the English language. Together with hooters, boobies and tits – nipple is as equally funny. All slang for the same thing. This word was mentioned in a cast and crew interview of the famous TV hit show loved by many fans all over the world – Friends. Actors David Schwimmer, who played the character Ross and Matthew Perry, who played the character Chandler, together with the show’s creators, Marta Kauffman and David Crane, all said in the interview that their live audiences always laughed whenever they heard the word nipple.
Nipple may be a funny word that’s a little bit naughty and research showed it as a word funnier to men than to women. But it’s not really naughty, it’s just normal. It’s part of our anatomy. We all have nipples. Heck, we even have two of them. Some people even have third nipples! Friends fanatics know what this means, wink wink!
5. Malarkey
noun ma·lar·key mə-ˈlär-kē
“Stop this malarkey!” “That’s a bunch of malarkey!” “He’s full of malarkey!”
This word is defined as insincere or foolish talk.
This word just rolls right off the tongue, doesn’t it? Written proof dates back to 1922, but no one really knows where the word came from. Spellings of the word varied as well, malachy, mullarkey, and malaky. The word appeared first in cartoons created by cartoonist Thomas Aloysius Dorgan, who incidentally was Irish American. Well, let’s just ask the Malarkeys. The Malarkeys are of Irish descent, but there is no Irish explanation to the origin of the word. There is one good source, though. Maybe the Malarkeys were well known for telling tall tales.
The Greek word, malakia, means idiocy or stupidity. This makes sense since the meaning of malarkey today is nonsense or rubbish. If you are a fan of the HBO award-winning miniseries Band of Brothers you might remember a character there named Donald Malarkey. Technical Sergeant Malarkey was a WWII war hero portrayed by actor Scott Grimes.
Malarkey is one fun word to say, though. Its origins may be unknown and you may not remember Donald Malarkey, but just say the word five times fast and you’d find it funny as well.
4. Brouhaha
noun brou·ha·ha ˈbrü-ˌhä-ˌhä
“Brouhaha! Brouhaha! Brouhaha!” It’s just fun to say it more than once!
This word is defined as hubbub, commotion, or uproar.
Brouhaha! It kind of sounds like a college cheer. Brouhaha! It sounds more like a mysterious spell uttered three times at the end of an enchantment that grants eternal or spring-break long happiness. The word actually traces back to an anti-semitic French word of the same spelling and means cry of the devil disguised as clergy. Trace back the French word and the result will be a Hebrew word, baruch atah, which means blessed be the one who comes.
The old story goes that the French would pass by these Hebrew places of worship, or synagogues, at night and hear the words or prayers coming from the building and to them (the French) the Hebrew words were just loud and confusing, and all sounded like a big mess. Well, to make a bigger mess of this funny word, brouhaha actually also means hullabaloo. Now, what the heck is a hullabaloo?!? Brouhaha! It sounds like what one would say it at the end of a speech to prove a point or to bring the hammer down. Brouhaha!
3. Wabbit
adjective wab·bit ˈwæbɪt
“I’m not okay, I feel a bit wabbit.”
This word is defined as weary; exhausted.
Imagine a forest, then a clearing. A hunter is walking quietly with his rifle, cocked and ready to fire. He sees a rabbit, fires upon it, but misses badly. The hunter then runs toward the direction the rabbit retreats to. The hunter sees no rabbit, he looks around and there is not a single rabbit. He clears his throat, tilts his head a little bit sideways and upwards, and then shouts….. Come back here wabbit!
Unfortunately, this word does not exactly mean the cute and cuddly animal, oryctolagus cuniculus, or the rabbit. That was just Elmer Fudd’s adorable personality and speech impediment, apparently. Wabbit means exhausted, tired, or weary. It is actually a Scottish word that probably comes from an older word, wobart, which means feeble or withered. Origins of these words are not well-documented and are almost non-existent. Some dictionaries don’t even have wabbit in their list. But it is one funny word! Perhaps credit Warner Brothers, Bugs Bunny, Elmer Fudd, and the whole ACME gang as well. Wait, is it wabbit season already?
2. Giggle
verb gig·gle ˈgi-gəl
“No matter how hard they try, the girls just can’t stop giggling.” “What?! What are you giggling about?”
This word is defined as laughing with continual tiny, little catches of the breath; or to utter with a giggle.
Remember the word booty? Giggle is the counterpart of it. This word scored very high among women as one of the funniest words in the English language according to scientific research conducted to identify the funniest words in the English language. True enough, a girl cannot help but giggle after saying the word, if only for a little bit. The origin of the word giggle is unknown, but it can be traced back to Middle English.
The Old or dialectal English word, gig, means to creak. It came from the Middle English word, gigen, meaning to make a creaking sound. It can also be attributed to another form of the Middle English word, gigge or gige, which means a squeaking sound.
Giggle is a word that should definitely be on this list. It means what this list represents, it’s funny! Let’s have some more words like giggle in these kinds of lists, not like those dirty and naughty words those dirty and naughty boys like more!
1. Shenanigan
noun she·nan·i·gan shə-ˈna-ni-gən
“I’ve had just about enough of your shenanigans! You hooligans!”
This word is defined as some tricky or questionable conduct or practices; mischievous or high-spirited acts or activities; a deceitful trick, especially used for an underhanded purpose.
Perhaps one of the funniest words in this list, shenanigans is a word that anyone could learn to love. It is subtle, it is discreet. It is simple, it is deep. Does this all sound like a shenanigan? That’s the beauty of the word! You can call someone out and they will not be offended. Just as long as you use the word shenanigan in the sentence. What a lovely and funny word! Where did it come from?
It has traces of Irish, Spanish, and French origins. The word shenanigan could have derived from any of the following words. The Irish word, sionnachuighim, meaning ‘I play the fox.’ The Spanish word, charade, which means trick or deceit. And the French word, ces manigances, meaning these fraudulent schemes. They all sound legitimate and could be all true, but these are all speculation as there is no written and exact proof of the origin of the word. Nonetheless, the word shenanigan is still one of the funniest words in the world!