what is the longest word in the Engish language?

Question

Whoops - well spotted!

Answer 1

When I was a kid, I was told it was that the longest non-scientific or non-technical word was antidisestablishmentarianism.

Glad to know English is still out there coming up with the goods.

Answer 2

1) Sticking to "ordinary" words found in English dictionaries:

The standard answer is now:

pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis, a 45-letter word supposed to refer to a lung disease

This is the longest word in any major English language dictionary. It was originally created as a hoax, but has been adopted as a legitimate term because it closely resembles the characteristics of the condition and has been recognized in other major dictionaries.

It you find that unacceptable, the longest "real English word" according to the Guinness Book of Records (and attested from at least 1741) is the 29-letter word "floccinaucinihilipilification"("the act of estimating (something) as worthless")

Of course, "antidisestablishmentarianism" is ALSO 29 letters, though some question whether IT is not simply another a word created for length, rather than for USE. Also at 29-letters is "electromicrographically".

2) Technical terms -- in principle no limit to length; a chemical compond with 61 letters =
sodium­meta­diamino­para­dioxy­arseno­benzoe­methylene­sulph­oxylate

3) Place Names -
Taumatawhakatang­ihangakoauauot­amateaturipukaka­pikimaunga­horonuku­pokaiwhenuak­itanatahu (85 letters) -- a hill in New Zealand

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Longest_word_in_English


For FUN, some say "smiles" is the longest, but even longer is "beleaguered" (with a LEAGUE in the middle!).

OR you can use Red Skelton's answer -- the longest word is the one following the announcement, “And now a word from our sponsor”!

Answer 3

The longest word in any major English language dictionary is pneumono­ultra­micro­scopic­silico­volcano­coniosis, a 45-letter word supposed to refer to a lung disease, but research has discovered that this word was originally intended as a hoax. It has since been used in a close approximation of its originally intended meaning, lending at least some degree of validity to its claim.

Answer 4

Those above answers are good, but I also have a really long word...my mom types medical transcription...this is a really long medical term: esophagogastroduodenoscopy

It's: a diagnostic endoscopic procedure that visualises the upper part of the gastrointestinal tract up to the duodenum.

Answer 5

the: 3 letters

Engish: 6 letters, unless that's a typo, in which case...

English: 7 letters

Language: 8 letters, and the longest word in "the English language"

Answer 6

Pneumonoultra.... the 45-letter word came into being in the year 1948. I think there are two or three words that are longer now. They, too, are medical terms but I can't find them just now.

Answer 7

i was going to say smiles , because there is a mile between the S's, but that had already been entered so, instead my whole name, which i,m not disclosing is the same length as the alphabet in the english language...get writers cramp signing my name...lol

Answer 8

"Pneumono ultra microscopic silico volcano coni osis" (but all one word without spaces)
Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis

Answer 9

super kala fredgi listic expee alla docious!
it wudnt come on wen i did it without spaces!

Answer 10

"SMILES" ! There's a mile between the two Ss'.