When you think of long English words, you may think of obscure words like supercalifragilisticexpialidocious (a fun term from the film Mary Poppins) or hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia (the fear of long words). But some long words in English are easier to use in everyday conversation—and they sound just as impressive!
Find the newest additions to your English vocabulary with our list of long English words. You’ll also learn how to pronounce long words in English, how to use them in a sentence, and why English words can get so long in the first place.
Table of Contents
Long English words list
There are approximately one million words in the English language, but you don’t use all of them every day. In fact, you may only use about 42,000 English words in your entire vocabulary, and the average length of those words is 4.5 letters long!
Add these long English words to your everyday vocabulary to increase that average and use more specific language. Some words are as long as 23 letters, and you can find a way to use them often when you check out the example sentences we included below the chart.
| English Word | Number of Letters | Part of Speech | Definition |
| absentmindedness | 16 | noun | lost in thought and unfocused |
| alphabetization | 15 | noun | putting things in alphabetical order |
| brokenheartedly | 15 | adverb | doing something while feeling great sorrow |
| bureaucratically | 16 | adverb | doing something in an overly official way |
| cantankerousness | 16 | noun | the state of being disagreeable |
| circumlocution | 14 | noun | speaking indirectly |
| counterclockwise | 16 | adverb | opposite direction to the rotation of a clock’s hands |
| counterproductive | 17 | adjective | an action that keeps you from achieving a goal |
| disenfranchising | 16 | verb or participle | taking away someone’s rights |
| disproportionately | 18 | adverb | not in balance or proportion |
| exceptionalities | 16 | plural noun | qualities of being unlike others |
| flabbergasted | 13 | adjective | very surprised |
| grandiloquent | 13 | adjective | speaking with elevated language |
| idiosyncratic | 13 | adjective | a person’s unique or peculiar traits |
| incomprehensible | 16 | adjective | impossible to understand |
| inconsequential | 15 | adjective | not important |
| indistinguishabilities | 22 | plural noun | details that make it difficult to tell things apart |
| institutionalization | 20 | noun | making something official. or putting someone in an institution |
| interdisciplinary | 17 | adjective | combining two or more subjects |
| melodramatization | 17 | noun | making something more emotional or dramatic |
| misrepresentation | 17 | noun | representing something incorrectly |
| noninterchangeable | 18 | adjective | not easily switched with something very similar |
| obsequious | 10 | adjective | being obedient and eager to please |
| ostentatious | 12 | adjective | flashy, trying to get attention |
| overintellectualization | 23 | noun | thinking about something too much |
| perspicacious | 13 | adjective | can easily understand people and situations |
| pusillanimous | 13 | adjective | cowardly or afraid |
| quintessential | 14 | adjective | the ultimate example |
| rationalization | 15 | noun | making an unreasonable action sound reasonable |
| scintillating | 13 | adjective | clever and interesting |
| semiautobiographical | 20 | adjective | partially based on a person’s life |
| telecommunications | 18 | plural noun | transmission of information over distance |
| ultrasophisticated | 18 | adjective | very refined or elegant |
| unenthusiastically | 18 | adverb | not excited, reluctant |
| unequivocally | 13 | adverb | very clearly |
Examples of long English words in a sentence
Some of those long English words look like they belong in a list of hard tongue twisters instead of casual conversations! See how to use long words in English correctly in sentences that you might use in everyday speech.
- This movie is semiautobiographical because it’s based on the events from a real person’s life.
- I didn’t finish the book because I found it incomprehensible and confusing.
- These paintings have so many indistinguishabilities that it’s hard to tell them apart.
- My teachers planned an interdisciplinary lesson that included skills from math, history, and science.
- Even though Spanish and Portuguese sound similar, the languages are noninterchangeable.
- Do you think my dress is too flashy and ostentatious?
- Ryan’s perspicacious mother can always tell when a person is untrustworthy.
- This is the quintessential book about workers’ rights in the United States.
- My sister has degrees in telecommunications and computer science.
- The crowd cheered unenthusiastically because their team was losing by 20 points.
What are the longest words in English?
The word overintellectualization tops our long English words list above, but it’s far from being the longest English word in the language. Discover a few of those long words (and how you might be able to slip them into conversation!).
1. Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis
At 45 letters long, pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis is commonly known as the longest word in English. It describes a specific lung disease caused by inhaling ash and dust.
But even though this lengthy word is one of the longest English words, it’s nowhere near the longest word in the world. That honor belongs to a 195-character Sanskrit word that describes an entire scene!
2. Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia
Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia is a 36-letter word that describes a phobia of long words. This may describe students who pale at vocabulary lists, readers who become discouraged at finding long words they don’t know, or those who have a medical phobia of such words (although this phobia is relatively rare).
Try to use this word, or the similar term sesquipedalophobia, in a conversation about phobias. You can also use it as an example of irony that it takes a very long word to describe the fear of long words!
3. Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious
In Mary Poppins (1964), the 34-letter word supercalifragilisticexpialidocious seems like a silly made-up word. And it is! But its legendary creation put this long word in the dictionary, and now it’s a way to express that you like something very much.
Use this great word when showing enthusiasm over someone’s fabulous accomplishments, or to approve of someone’s recent accomplishments. “That’s supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!”
4. Pseudopseudohypoparathyroidism
Pseudopseudohypoparathyroidism is a 30-letter-long word that describes an inherited condition that results in short stature and hand bones. It’s similar to pseudohypoparathyroidism (24 letters) but it doesn’t have the same hormone resistance.
You may have to wait for a medical or scientific discussion to bring this long word into conversation, unless you’re researching it in your own life. Either way, the double prefix of pseudo- might be an interesting topic of grammar-related conversation!
5. Floccinaucinihilipilification
The word floccinaucinihilipilification (29 letters) describes the act of deciding that something is worthless. It seems like a lot of letters for such a simple process, but with multiple Latin roots meaning “insignificant,” including flocci, (tufts of fiber), nauci (of little value), and nihili (nothing), this word makes its meaning clear several times over.
You’re most likely to hear floccinaucinihilipilification in conversations where people are self-deprecating, such as “My last relationship was an exercise in floccinaucinihilipilification.” It could also be an effective way to describe a book, movie, or TV show you really didn’t like.
6. Antidisestablishmentarianism
A popular example of a very long word in English, antidisestablishmentarianism is a 28-letter word that describes being against removing something’s official status. The historical meaning of antidisestablishmentarianism referred to the state of being opposed to removing the Church of English as England’s official state church.
This word primarily exists on lists of long words, but like many Latin-based words, we can find ways to use it with new meaning today. Work it into conversations about an institution losing its status or becoming disestablished (“When it comes to the board’s decision, I find myself leaning toward antidisestablishmentarianism“)!
How do English words get longer?
Most long English words don’t start out as long as they are. Find out how a short English word quickly becomes a longer (and more specific) word with just a few changes using prefixes or suffixes.
Adding prefixes and suffixes
You may have noticed that many long words in English begin similarly. Incomprehensible and inconsequential, for example, both begin with the prefix in- (which means “not”). You’ll also see long English words have similar endings, as in the words misrepresentation and rationalization. They share the suffix -tion, which means “the state of.”
See how adding Greek and Latin prefixes and suffixes can make shorter English words longer, which creates a more specific meaning.
| Root Word | Prefix | Suffix | Complete Word |
| argue | counter- | -ment | counterargument |
| bio | anti- | -tic | antibiotic |
| stand | under- | -ing | understanding |
Compound words
English has many compound words, which combine two words to create a word with a brand new meaning. See how adding two shorter words together can result in one long English word. (And if you think English compound words can get long, just wait till you learn some long German words that combine many shorter words!)
| First Word | Second Word | Compound Word |
| heart | break | heartbreak |
| grand | daughter | granddaughter |
| straight | forward | straightforward |
Become more grandiloquent with long English words
Whether you’re learning how to speak English or you’re a native speaker, using long words in English makes you sound more sophisticated and knowledgeable. An advanced vocabulary helps you make an even clearer point in conversation and writing—and you’ll pick up some fun new expressions along the way!
To learn more about English parts of speech or start a new language learning journey, learn more about how Rosetta Stone works. You’ll find a supportive coaching environment, engaging language lessons, and opportunities to expand your understanding (and your vocabulary!).
0 Commentaires