Longest words in English that can literally scare a reader

Do you feel happy whenever you learn new English words? If so, you are going to love this guide as it carries some of the longest words in the English language. These words may scare you at first but learning them is worthwhile.

The longest word in English is 189,819 letters long and takes 3 hours to say. This is a technical term for the chemical composition of titin. Titin is the largest known protein that is responsible for the muscles’ passive elasticity.

This word is so long because titin is made up of 244 individual protein domains that are linked together in a single sequence. Imagine 244 chemical compound names stuffed into a single word. Let us show you a glimpse of the longest word:

“Methionylthreonylthreonylglutaminylarginyl…isoleucine”.

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The longest word in the English dictionary

While the above-mentioned monster is the longest word in English, it’s debatable whether it’s even a word, which is why it’s not listed in any English dictionary. In that case, what’s the longest word in the English language dictionary? It’s pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis.

The irony is that pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis isn’t even a real word! It’s a term invented by Everett M. Smith, president of the National Puzzlers’ League. Everett coined this term as a sarcastic term for long medical terms as well as a synonym for silicosis, a lung disease caused by inhaling sand and ash dust.

Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis is a collection of Latin terms that describe an inflammatory lung disease caused by long-term silica dust inhalation. While the term is made up, the disease is real and is known in the United Kingdom as pneumoconiosis, silicosis, or black lung.

Let’s dissect this longest word in English to make you understand its pronunciation.

Fragment	Meaning
Pneumono-	A prefix meaning “lung”
Ultra	Extreme
Microscopic	Very tiny; seen only with a microscope
Silica	A dioxide of silicon that occurs as quartz sand
Volcano	A vent in the earth’s crust or a mountain crater where lava is expelled
Pneumonoconiosis	A lung disease

Here’s the phonetic respelling:

• nyoo-muh-noh-uhl-truh-mahy-kruh-skop-ik-sil-i-koh-vol-key-noh-koh-nee-oh-sis.

You can use English dictionary apps to understand the meaning of such words. These dictionary apps serve as a great tool to enrich the vocabulary list of English learners. Now, let’s move towards 15 other words that are also long enough to scare an innocent person.

While most of them are technical terms, you will probably find a way to use “floccinaucinihilipilification” or “xenotransplantation” in a conversation.

Word	Meaning	Letter count
Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis	A specific lung disease caused by inhaling quartz dust.	45
Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia	A fear of long words.	36
Pseudopseudohypoparathyroidism	A medical condition of the thyroid	30
Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious	An expression of excitement.	34
Eellogofusciouhipoppokunurious	Very good, very fine	30
Floccinaucinihilipilification	Estimating something as worthless	29
Antidisestablishmentarianism	Opposition to the disestablishment of the Church of England	28
Honorificabilitudinitatibus	The state of being able to achieve honors	27
Thyroparathyroidectomized	A medical term that describes the excision of the thyroid and parathyroid glands.	25
Dichlorodifluoromethane	A chlorofluoromethane CF2Cl2	23
Xenotransplantation	The process of transplanting organs from one species to another	19
Incomprehensibilities	Things that are impossible to comprehend	21
Trichotillomania	An inexplicable desire to pull your own hair	16
Uncopyrightable	Impossible to be protected by copyrights	15
Tergiversation	When someone avoids making a clear statement	14

Looking at these giant words actually makes a person think that how many words are there in English language? That curiosity is natural. But remember, mastering a second language is a gradual process. You need to learn new words at a gradual pace and most importantly, speak them as much as possible. Speaking is the key to master new words their pronunciation.

The longest one-syllable word in English

The majority of the longest words in English are technical or medical terms composed of a series of individual parts. However, there are some unusually long words with only one syllable.

The verb screeched, which means “made a loud, squealing noise,” is the most commonly used one-syllable English word. However, other one-syllable words with 9 letters are mentioned in the English dictionary.

• Schlepped
• Scratched
• Scrounged
• Scrunched
• Stretched
• Straights
• Strengths

The longest English word without vowels

If you are wondering what the longest English word without vowels is, we’re afraid there isn’t one. The answer is determined by whether the “y” is considered a consonant or a vowel. However, in most English words, y is a vowel.

Here is a list of the longest words without vowels but including the letter y:

Word	Meaning
Twyndyllyngs	The word of Welsh origins, meaning twins
Symphysy	A fusion of two bodies or parts
Rhythms	Repeated patterns of sounds
Spryly	An adverb from the adjective “spry”
Syzygy	An alignment of planets in astrology
Crypts	Places where people are buried
Trysts	Clandestine or secret meetings

The longest place names in the English-speaking countries

Have you ever been to Taumatawhakatangi­hangakoauauotamatea­turipukakapikimaunga­horonukupokaiwhen­uakitanatahu? Or Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch? While these words look as if you fell asleep while pronouncing them, these are actually names of places you can visit.

Place	Location	Letter Count
Taumatawhakatangi­hangakoauauotamatea­turipukakapikimaunga­horonukupokaiwhen­uakitanatahu	A hill in southern Hawke’s Bay in New Zealand	85
Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch	A name of a town in Wales	58
Chargoggagoggmanchauggauggagoggchaubunagungamaugg	A lake on the border of Connecticut and Massachusetts, USA	45
Tweebuffelsmeteenskootmorsdoodgeskietfontein	A farm located about 200km west from Pretoria in South Africa	44
Pekwachnamaykoskwaskwaypinwanik	A lake in Manitoba, Canada	31
Mamungkukumpurangkuntjunya	A hill in South Australia, approximately 108km away from a town called Marla	26
Bullaunancheathrairaluinn	A name of a town in Ireland	25
Nunathloogagamiutbingoi	A name of a beach on the southwestern coast of Alaska, USA	23

Frequently asked questions

Q. How to learn the longest words in English?

A. Learning longest words in English may seem difficult but you can learn them using dictionaries and English translations apps. They require a little practice while learning pronunciation.

Q. What is the longest word in English related to?

A. The longest word in English is related to the medical field.

Conclusion

Now that you know the longest words in the English language, you are ready to amaze your friends with your command of the English language and its nuances.

Unless you are planning a trip to Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch or diagnosing someone with pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis, these words are unlikely to come in handy anytime soon. Nonetheless, we are sure you had a good time learning these words with us. And if you want to learn English in a month, reach out to italki as soon as possible. Register yourself now!