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Longest word in English
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=== Words with certain characteristics of notable length === {{original research|section|date=August 2017}} {{Main|List of the longest English words with one syllable}} * ''Schmaltzed'' and ''strengthed'' (10 letters) appear to be the longest [[monosyllabic]] words recorded in ''[[The Oxford English Dictionary]]'', while ''scraunched'' and ''scroonched'' appear to be the longest [[monosyllabic]] words recorded in ''[[Webster's Third New International Dictionary]]''; but ''squirrelled'' (11 letters) is the longest if pronounced as one syllable only (as permitted in ''The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary'' and ''[[Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary]]'' at ''squirrel'', and in ''Longman Pronunciation Dictionary''). ''Schtroumpfed'' (12 letters) was coined by [[Umberto Eco]], while ''broughammed'' (11 letters) was coined by [[William Harmon]] after ''broughamed'' (10 letters) was coined by [[George Bernard Shaw]]. * ''Strengths'' is the longest word in the English language containing only one vowel letter.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/longest-word-in-the-english-language-with-only-one-vowel/| title = Guinness Records}}</ref> * ''[[Euouae]]'', a [[medieval]] musical term, is the longest English word consisting only of vowels, and the word with the most consecutive vowels. However, the "word" itself is simply a [[mnemonic]] consisting of the vowels to be sung in the phrase "seculorum Amen" at the end of the [[doxology|lesser doxology]]. (Although ''u'' was often used interchangeably with ''v'', and the variant "Evovae" is occasionally used, the ''v'' in these cases would still be a vowel.) * The [[longest word]]s with [[isogram|no repeated letters]] are ''subdermatoglyphic'', ''dermatoglyphics'', and ''uncopyrightable''.<ref>{{cite web| url = https://riddlesbrainteasers.com/longest-word-without-repeating-letters/| title = Longest Word Without Repeating Letters| date = December 2014}}</ref> * The longest word whose letters are in alphabetical order is the eight-letter ''[[Aegilops]]'', a grass genus. However, this is arguably a [[proper noun]]. There are several six-letter English words with their letters in alphabetical order, including ''abhors'', ''almost'', ''begins'', ''biopsy'', ''chimps'' and ''chintz''.<ref name="typewriter" /> There are few 7-letter words, such as "billowy" and "beefily". The longest words whose letters are in reverse alphabetical order are ''sponged'', ''wronged'' and ''trollied''. * The longest word without any of the main five vowels but including Y: ''Twyndyllyng''.{{Main|English words without vowels}} * The longest words recorded in OED with each vowel only once, and in order, are ''abstemiously'', ''affectiously'', and ''{{not a typo|tragediously}}'' (OED). ''Fracedinously'' and ''gravedinously'' (constructed from adjectives in OED) have thirteen letters; ''Gadspreciously'', constructed from ''Gadsprecious'' (in OED), has fourteen letters. ''Facetiously'' is among the few other words directly attested in OED with single occurrences of all six vowels (counting ''y'' as a vowel). * The longest word without [[Descender|descenders]] or [[Ascender (typography)|ascenders]] is ''overnumerousnesses''. * The longest single [[Palindrome|palindromic]] word in English is ''rotavator'', another name for a [[rotary tiller]] for breaking and aerating soil. ==== Typed words ==== * The longest words typable with only the left hand using conventional hand placement on a [[QWERTY]] keyboard are ''[[wikt:tesseradecade|tesseradecades]]'', ''[[wikt:aftercataracts|aftercataracts]]'', ''[[wikt:dereverberated|dereverberated]]'', ''[[wikt:dereverberates|dereverberates]]''<ref>{{cite web|url=http://sciencelinks.jp/j-east/article/200319/000020031903A0436636.php |title=Science Links Japan | Two Unique Aftercataracts Requiring Surgical Removal |publisher=Sciencelinks.jp |date=2009-03-18 |access-date=2010-08-22 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110217081656/http://sciencelinks.jp/j-east/article/200319/000020031903A0436636.php |archive-date=2011-02-17 }}</ref> and the more common but sometimes hyphenated ''sweaterdresses''.<ref name="typewriter">{{cite web |url=http://www.questrel.com/records.html#spelling_typewriter_order |title=Typewriter Words |publisher=Questrel.com |access-date=2010-08-22 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100927071605/http://www.questrel.com/records.html#spelling_typewriter_order |archive-date=2010-09-27 }}</ref> Using the right hand alone, the longest word that can be typed is ''[[Heartsease|johnny-jump-up]]'', or, excluding [[hyphen]]s, ''monimolimnion''<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O13-monimolimnion.html?jse=0|title=Dictionary entry for monimolimnion, a word that, at 13 letters, is longer than any of the words linked in the source above|access-date=2009-08-15|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090909214139/http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O13-monimolimnion.html?jse=0|archive-date=2009-09-09}}</ref> and ''phyllophyllin''. * The longest English word typable using only the top row of letters has 11 letters: ''[[rupturewort]]''. The word ''[[seesaw|teetertotter]]'' (used in [[North American English]]) is longer at 12 letters, although it is usually spelled with a hyphen. * The longest using only the middle row is ''shakalshas'' (10 letters). Nine-letter words include ''flagfalls''; eight-letter words include ''galahads'' and ''alfalfas''. * Since the bottom row contains no vowels, no standard words can be formed.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fun-with-words.com/word_records.html |title=Word Records |publisher=Fun-with-words.com |access-date=2012-08-13 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120826081140/http://www.fun-with-words.com/word_records.html |archive-date=2012-08-26 }}</ref> * The longest word typable by alternating left and right hands is ''antiskepticism''.<ref name="typewriter" /> * On a [[Dvorak Simplified Keyboard|Dvorak]] keyboard, the longest "left-handed" words are ''epopoeia'', ''[[Jipijapa (disambiguation)|jipijapa]]'', ''[[peekapoo]]'', and ''quiaquia''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.wordnik.com/lists/typewriter-words/ |title=Typewriter Words |publisher=Wordnik.com |access-date=2011-01-15 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110717053017/http://www.wordnik.com/lists/typewriter-words/ |archive-date=2011-07-17 }}</ref> Other such long words are ''[[papaya]]'', ''[[wikt:Kikuyu|Kikuyu]]'', ''opaque'', and ''upkeep''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.theworldofstuff.com/dvorak/ |title=The Dvorak Keyboard and You |publisher=Theworldofstuff.com |access-date=2010-08-22 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100820154431/http://www.theworldofstuff.com/dvorak/ |archive-date=2010-08-20 }}</ref> ''Kikuyu'' is typed entirely with the index finger, and so the longest one-fingered word on the Dvorak keyboard. There are no vowels on the right-hand side, and so the longest "right-handed" word is [[crwth]]s. * The word that has the most consecutive letters that are shared on a [[Telephone keypad|phone keyboard]] is ''[[Non-monotonic_logic|nonmonotonic]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://what-if.xkcd.com/75/|title=Phone Keypad|publisher=What-if.xkcd.com|access-date=2025-01-17|url-status=live}}</ref>
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