What is the longest word in the English language?

Answer 1

The longest word in any major English language dictionary is pneumono­ultra­micro­scopic­silico­volcano­coniosis, a 45-letter word that refers to a lung disease contracted from the inhalation of fine silica dust. 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.[1]

The Oxford English Dictionary contains pseudopseudohypoparathyroidism (30 letters).

The longest non-technical word in major dictionaires is flocci­nauci­nihili­pili­fication at 29 letters. Consisting of a series of Latin words meaning "nothing" and defined as "the act of estimating something as worthless," its usage has been recorded as far back as 1741.[2][3][4] In recent times its usage has been recorded in the proceedings of the United States Senate by Senator Robert Byrd [5], and at the White House by Bill Clinton's press secretary Mike McCurry, albeit sarcastically.

Answer 2

This 1913 letter word is the longest word in the English language and is the chemical name for tryptophan synthetase A protein. It appears in Mrs Byrne's Dictionary of Unusual, Obscure and Preposterous Words.

methionylglutaminylarginyltyrosylglutamylserylleucylphenylal anylalanylglutaminylleucyllysylglutamylarginyllysylglutamylg lycylalanylphenylalanylvalylprolylphenylalanylyalylthreonyll eucylglycylaspartylprolylglycylisoleucylglutamylglutaminylse rylleucyllysylisoleucylaspartylthreonylleucylisoleucylglutam ylalanylglycylalanylaspartylalanylleucylglutamylleucylglycyl isoleucylprolylphenylalanylserylaspartylprolylleucylalanylas partylglycylprolylthreonylisoleucylglutaminylasparaginylalan ylthreonylleucylarginylalanylphenylalanylalanylalanylglycylv alylthreonylprolylalanylglutaminylcysteinylphenylalanylgluta mylmethionylleucyalanylleucylisoleucylarginylglutaminyllysyl histidylprolylthreonylisoleucylprolylisoleucylglycylleucylle ucylmethionyltyrosylalanylasparaginylleucylvalylphenylalanyl asparaginyllysylglycylisoleucylaspartylglutamylphenylalanylt yrosylalanylglutaminylcysteinylglutamyllysylvalylglycylvalyl aspartylserylvalylleucylvalylalanylaspartylvalylprolylvalylg lutaminylglutamylserylalanylprolylphenylalanylarginylglutami nylalanylalanylleucylarginylhistidylasparaginylvalylalanylpr olylisoleucylphenylalanylisoleucylcysteinylprolylprolylaspar tylalanylaspartylaspartylaspartylleucylleucylarginylglutamin ylisoleucylalanylseryltyrosylglycylarginylglycyltyrosylthreo nyltyrosylleucylleucylserylarginylalanylglycylvalylthreonylg lycylalanylglutamylasparaginylarginylalanylalanylleucylproly lleucylasparaginylhistidylleucylvalylalanyllysylleucyllysylg lutamyltyrosylasparaginylalanylalanylprolylprolylleucylgluta minylglycylphenylalanylglycylisoleucylserylalanylprolylaspar tylglutaminylvalyllysylalanylalanylisoleucylaspartylalanylgl ycylalanylalanylglycylalanylisoleucylserylglycylserylalanyli soleucylvalyllysylisoleucylisoleucylglutamylglutaminylhistid ylasparaginylisoleucylglutamylprolylglutamyllysylmethionylle ucylalanylalanylleucyllysylvalylphenylalanylvalylglutaminylp rolylmethionyllysylalanylalanylthreonylarginylserine


At least thats what I got when I looked it up.
I think part of it isn't going to show up.. :(

Answer 3

The longest word that I would ever bother to pronounce is pneumonoultra microscopicsilico volcanoconiosis (omit the spaces, 45 letters)

Essentially, names of chemical formulae can be infinitely long, so there isn't really a 'longest word.' I don't know for certain what it is, but I would like to know what the longest word is in an unabridged copy of the Oxford Standard English Dictionary...

Answer 4

It is: I
...just kidding ;-))
The longest word in any major English language dictionary is pneumono­ultra­micro­scopic­silico­volcano­coniosis, a 45-letter word that refers to a lung disease contracted from the inhalation of fine silica dust

Answer 5

antidisestablishmentarianism = noun
antidisestablishmentarianistic = adjective

but there are many scientific terms that are longer for various organisms or chemical compounds. this is the longest that can be found in a dictionary..at least a few years ago it was.

Answer 6

pneu- mono- ultra- micro- scopic- silico- volcano- coniosis.

i learned to spell this word in 4th grade. lol. i was always good at spelling and the spelling bee champ.
in case you want to know, it's a black lung disease that miners get.

if you ask some people, they might say that either

anti- dis- establish- ment- arian- ism
or
super- cali- fragil- istic- expi- ali- docious

are the longest words, but

pneu- mono- ultra- micro- scopic- silico- volcano- coniosis
(yes, i did type all that all again. lol.)
is definiteley longer. lol.

Answer 7

Cyclopentanoperhydrophenathrene - the base chemical structure of cholesterol. (Yahoo cuts off the last 'e' at the end of the word.)

Answer 8

Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis!! It is a real word I promise! It is a disease that occured when Mt. St. Helens errupted.

Answer 9

Of course, if you were going for the joke/riddle answer, one could answer "smiles," since there is a "mile" between the first and last letters. :o)

Answer 10

All of those who said
"pneumono - ultra - micro - scopic - silico - volcano - coniosis" are correct