Know about the 11 Longest Word in the English Language

Dec 20, 2021, 16:57 IST

There are various lengthy words in dictionaries. Let us have a look and read a few of them.

Longest Words in the English Language
Longest Words in the English Language

There are various lengthy words in the dictionary and many of them refer to medicine or chemistry. Here, we are providing some longest words that you may not have even heard or used. Also, they are difficult to pronounce. We have ranked them according to the number of letters used in each one. Check below the list with some fun facts.

11 Longest Words in the English Language

1. Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis

Number of letters: 45

Year Invented: Around 1935

It is the longest word in English as per the Oxford English Dictionary. It is a name that has been invented for lung disease. Or it is a chronic lung disease that is caused by breathing in small pieces of ash or dust.

If we break this long word then its meaning can be cited as follows: 

Pneumono refers to the lung

Ultra means extremely

Microscopic means small or tiny

Silica means sand

Volcano means self-evident

coniosis means scarring

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2. Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia

Number of Letters: 36

It is also one of the longest words in the dictionary. Ironically, it is the name for a fear of long words. Or we can say that it is the name given to the phobia of long words.

3. Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious 

Number of Letters: 34
Year Invented: According to Oxford English Dictionary this word was first-time used in the 1940s

This word became popular in the 1964 children's film "Mary Poppins". The word is used to describe something as being great or extraordinary. 

After breaking the word, its meaning can be:

Super means above

Cali is beauty

Fragilistic is delicate

Expiali is to atone

Docious is educable

4.  Pseudopseudohypoparathyroidism 

Number of Letters: 30

Year Invented: 1942

In medical history, it is an inherited condition that causes short stature, a round face, and shorthand bones. 

Fuller Albright and colleagues introduced the term pseudohypoparathyroidism (PHP) in 1942 to explain PHP resistance in three patients with biochemical hypoparathyroidism and with some and a constellation of unusual features like short stature, obesity, round faces, etc.

5. Floccinaucinihilipilification

Number of Letters: 29

Year Invented: 18th Century

According to the Oxford Dictionary, it is the action or habit of estimating something as worthless. The word was coined in the 18th century that combines four Latin prefixes meaning "nothing". 

6. Antidisestablishmentarianism

Number of Letters: 28

Year Invented: 19th century

It is a term referred to a political movement in the 19th century in Britain that sought to separate Church and state. According to Cambridge Dictionary, the word means "opposition to the belief that there should not be an official relationship between a country's government and its national Church."

7. Honorificabilitudinitatibus 

Number of Letters: 27

It is said to be the longest word used in Shakespeare's works. The word is mentioned by the character Costard in Act V, Scene I of Shakespeare's 'Love's Labour's Lost.' One more interesting feature of this word is that it features alternate consonants and vowels.

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8. Dichlorodifluoromethane 

Number of Letters: 23

It is also known as CFC-12 which is used as aerosol-spray propellants, solvents, and foam blowing agents. Suited for these and other applications as they are non-toxic and nonflammable. It can also be converted from a liquid to a gas and vice versa.

9. Thyroparathyroidectomy

Number of Letters: 22

The term stands for surgical removal of the thyroid and parathyroid glands. It is said that total thyroparathyroidectomy in patients with thyroid cancers and changes in erythrocytic Mg levels following parathyroautotransplantation.

10. Otorhinolaryngological

Number of Letters: 22

The word is related to medical practice that involves the ear, nose, and throat. Or we can say an otorhinolaryngologist is a doctor who studies or treats diseases of the ear, nose, and throat.

11. Incomprehensibilities

Number of Letters: 21

It is the state of being impossible or very difficult to understand. In the 1990s, the word set the record as the longest word "in common usage". 

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Shikha Goyal is a journalist and a content writer with 9+ years of experience. She is a Science Graduate with Post Graduate degrees in Mathematics and Mass Communication & Journalism. She has previously taught in an IAS coaching institute and was also an editor in the publishing industry. At jagranjosh.com, she creates digital content on General Knowledge. She can be reached at shikha.goyal@jagrannewmedia.com
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