DailySusan Humor Blog

HUMDINGER FOR A WORD NERD

On my education website, www.GoBigEd.com, my “Grammar Granny” writing feature last week was on big, long words, and how important it is to have phonics skills so that you can pronounce them and get a head start on understanding what they mean.

Then I received this doozy on my daily vocabulary word email. It’s supposedly the longest word in the English language, a 45-letter word for black lung disease. Take a deep breath and try to pronounce it:

Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis

OK, here’s the cheat sheet:

NOO-muh-noh-UL-truh-MY-kruh-SKOP-ik-SIL-i-koh-VOL-kay-no-koh-NEE-o-sis

Actually, it makes sense: these syllables are from the Greek pneumono- (lung) + Latin ultra- (beyond, extremely) + Greek micro- (small) + -scopic (looking) + Latin silico (like sand) + volcano + Greek konis (dust) + -osis (condition).

A little “word nerd” humor came with the email: in attempting pronunciation of this word, they advised caution “lest you may have to avail the services of an otorhinolaryngologist (an ear, nose and throat specialist).”