Jan Sikes

#WednesdayWords – Made-up words

Hello, everyone. Welcome to another segment of Wednesday Words.

We have all heard and used made-up words before, and because of my oldest granddaughter, that is what I want to talk about today.

Can you guess the longest made-up word? Here’s what I found:

Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis

Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis is an invented term that was coined by Everett M. Smith, the president of the National Puzzlers’ League. The Oxford English Dictionary lists pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis as “a factitious word alleged to mean a lung disease caused by inhalation of very fine silica dust usually found in volcanos. So, from that perspective, it’s both factual and fictitious. Sounds like a lot of our stories, doesn’t it?

Surprised? I seriously thought it would be supercalifragilisticexpialidocious, but Mr. Smith’s word has it beat.

Why am I talking about made-up words? Because my oldest granddaughter uses a made-up word in daily conversation. Her word is confuzzled. When I asked what it meant to her, she said it was when you were both confused and puzzled. 🙂

Here’s Sydney’s confuzzled look:

What about you? Do you use made-up words? What are they? I’d love to hear them!

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