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The 11 Longest Words In The English Language (PHOTOS)

The 11 Longest Words Writers Will Probably Never Use (PHOTOS)
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Long words can be fun to say for your own amusement or just to annoy your friends. After all, who hasn't reveled in the syllabic rhythm of "antidisestablishmentarianism"?

Though not often, we occasionally come across words like "deinstitutionalization" and "counterrevolutionaries." Upon seeing so many letters jammed together, there's a bit of enjoyment in sounding out the word and letting it roll off the tongue.

More challenging are words such as 'Bababadalgharaghtakamminarronnkonnbronntonnerronntuonnthunntrovarrhounawnskawntoohoohoordenenthurnuk,'' a 101-letter word from Joyce's "Finnegans Wake" which supposedly represents the symbolic thunderclap following Adam and Eve's fall.

So we set out to find the longest words in the English language, while trying to skirt some of the linguistic train wrecks that are out there (see Pepsi's 1973 advertising buzzword: "Lipsmackinthirstquenchinacetastinmotivatingoodbuzzincooltalkinhighwalkinfastlivinevergivincoolfizzin"). Many of them are medical--is it a wonder we don't always understand doctors?

Know a word we missed, or even just a really impressive-sounding one? Let us know!

Longest Words
antidisestablishmentarianism(01 of11)
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antidisestablishmentarianismn.opposition to the withdrawal of state support or recognition from an established church, esp. the Anglican Church in 19th-century England.28 letters
antitransubstantiationalist(02 of11)
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antitransubstantiationalistn.one who disagrees with the concept of or belief in the transubstantiation doctrine of the Catholic church.27 letters
honorificabilitudinitatibus(03 of11)
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honorificabilitudinitatibusn.the state of being able to achieve honors. The longest word Shakespeare ever used and the longest word in the English language with alternating consonants and vowels.27 letters
floccinaucinihilipilification(04 of11)
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floccinaucinihilipilificationn.the estimation of something as valueless.29 letters
hippopotomonstrosesquipedalian(05 of11)
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hippopotomonstrosesquipedalianadj.of or pertaining to extremely long words.30 letters
pseudopseudohypoparathyroidism(06 of11)
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pseudopseudohypoparathyroidismn.an incomplete form of pseudohypoparathyroidism marked by the same constitutional features but by normal levels of calcium and phosphorus in the blood serum.30 letters
hepaticocholangiocholecystenterostomies(07 of11)
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hepaticocholangiocholecystenterostomiesn. pl.a surgical process in which a channel is made to create communication between the gall bladder and the hepatic duct or intestines. 37 letters
pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis(08 of11)
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pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosisn.an obscure term ostensibly referring to a lung disease caused by silica dust.45 letters
asseocarnisanguineoviscericartilaginonervomedullary(09 of11)
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asseocarnisanguineoviscericartilaginonervomedullaryadj.used to describe the structure of the entire human body.51 letters
aequeosalinocalcalinosetaceoaluminosocupreovitriolic(10 of11)
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aequeosalinocalcalinosetaceoaluminosocupreovitriolicadj.used to describe the spa waters at Bath, England.52 letters
methionylthreonylthreonylglutaminylarginyl...isoleucine(11 of11)
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methionylthreonylthreonylglutaminylarginyl...isoleucinen.chemical name of titin, the largest known protein.189,819 letters

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