An Unusual and Obscure English Word

Take a deep breath and utter this ‘simple’ word “Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia”. Have you recited it correctly? Well, probably no. I also had a hard time pronouncing correctly this tongue-tiring word. I have found it out of curiosity. This real weird English word is not easy to say, but ironically, it is a medical term for the fear of long words. The word itself will drive you nuts and even scare those who don’t have ‘skilled, talented and flexible’ tongues. But for those people who have manic fear of long words, maybe reading this word “Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia” on and on will help them get over with their fear.

This 15-syllable word is not basically used purely for its meaning but rather, the term sesquipedaliophobia is used in formal writing and discussions. It is intentionally presented in an exaggerated length of words so as to accentuate the idea of fearing the word itself.