Move over, Mary Poppins, there’s a new tongue twister in town.
Sing this one out loud, sisters:
Jean-Étienne Liotard, Young Girl Singing into a Mirror, 1700s
Floccinaucinihilipilification!
(Need a spoonful of sugar?)
Unlike supercalifragilisticexpialidocious, floccinaucinihilipilification is a real (read: definitively definable) word. Saying it, however, is a challenge best broken into syllables.
Take a big breath and say it with me:
Flok
Suh
Naw
Suh
Nahy
Hil
Uh
Pil
Uh
Fi
KAY
Shuhn
Whew!
This rarely uttered Latin-based noun refers to an inherent lack of value. Something like, “The painting was forged by a copycat artist, so it was dismissed by the Antiques Roadshow as a floccinaucinihilipilification.”
But, the term’s primary claim to fame is its length—another one of the longest words in the English language.
Feeling pretty good about your pronunciation of floccinaucinihilipilification?
Try putting it to music.
This new word trumps in difficulty to the Mary Poppins song for me. Something about the parts of it have fewer similar vowel sounds to make it flow. The repetition of the vowel “i” in Mary Poppins’ movie make it easier for me to put the parts together and not get tangled up. The “i” also seems to flow with music better too. Or maybe I just get tongue tied easier than most people?
hehehe, I really shouldn’t try to say these words before 5:30 in the morning 🙂 .. or pre-coffee. It does start the day with a good giggle though.