Words

Spike

Spike

Ah, as the bard wrote: words, words, words. Anyway, some top words, arranged by category:

Top Middle English word that should have died with Chaucer: Fart.

Ugliest word: Phlegm.

Most embarrassing word: Penis.

Best made-up word ever: Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.

Top three words I mispronounced for an humiliatingly long time:
Sherbet. (I thought it rhymed with Herbert, but no second r.)
Esspresso. (No x.)
Stonehenge. (I honestly thought, for the longest time, it was Stonehedge. I know what a hedge is, but WTF is a henge?)

Word I refuse to say because it is too childish: Panties. (Nothing wrong with underware.)

Best onomatopoeic word: Gulp.

Name spelled so differently from the way it is pronounced one thinks it is a different person: Goethe.


Name that should be spelled differently but isn't : Hemingway. (Should have two ms.)

Best repurposed word: Gay.



Best comical mispronounciations:
Jebus. (Homer Simpson)
Aliums! (Rugrats)

Anyway.
 
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Some of the most interesting words from other languages that don't have an English version. Gives a bit of insight into each culture.

  1. Saudade (Portuguese)
    • A deep emotional state of nostalgic or profound melancholic longing for something or someone that one cares for and/or loves.
  2. Schadenfreude (German)
    • The pleasure derived from someone else's misfortune.
  3. Torschlusspanik (German)
    • The fear of diminishing opportunities as one ages, literally translated as "gate-closing panic."
  4. Tsundoku (Japanese)
    • The act of acquiring books and letting them pile up, without reading them.
  5. Ikigai (Japanese)
    • The reason for being; a sense of purpose in life.
  6. Fernweh (German)
    • The opposite of homesickness; a longing for distant places.
  7. Hygge (Danish)
    • The cozy, warm atmosphere you feel when you enjoy the good things in life with good people.
  8. Wabi-Sabi (Japanese)
    • The appreciation of the beauty in imperfection.
  9. Ubuntu (Zulu/Xhosa)
    • A quality that includes the essential human virtues; compassion and humanity.
  10. Mamihlapinatapai (Yaghan)
    • A look shared by two people, each wishing that the other would initiate something that they both desire but which neither wants to begin.
  11. Zapoi (Russian)
    • A period of two or more days of drunkenness, usually involving withdrawal from work and social responsibilities.
  12. Tingo (Pascuense)
    • To borrow objects from a friend's house, one by one, until there's nothing left.
  13. Jayus (Indonesian)
    • A joke told so poorly that one can't help but laugh.
  14. Litost (Czech)
    • A state of existential despair, often brought on by the sudden realization of one's own misery.
  15. Sisu (Finnish)
    • Extraordinary determination and courage in the face of extreme adversity.
  16. Gönnen (German)
    • The opposite of "Schadenfreude," i.e., taking pleasure in someone else's happiness or success.
  17. Jugaad (Hindi)
    • A frugal, innovative fix; a flexible approach to solving a pressing problem.
  18. Duende (Spanish)
    • A heightened sense of emotion, expression, and authenticity, often associated with flamenco dancing and singing.
  19. Dépaysement (French)
    • The feeling of being an outsider or foreigner, often accompanied by the thrill and excitement of being somewhere new.
  20. Gigil (Tagalog)
    • The irresistible urge to start drinking before noon
 
Words I've only read and never attempted to actually pronounce, to actually say:

Weltanschauung -- a comprehensive conception or apprehension of the world especially from a specific standpoint : worldview.​

 
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