Which is the longest word in English?
Quick Answer
The longest word in major dictionaries is pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis, with 45 letters, a lung disease caused by fine volcanic dust.
The Full Story
Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis was invented in 1935 by Everett Smith, president of the National Puzzlersβ League, deliberately to be the longest word. It still made it into the Oxford English Dictionary and describes a lung disease similar to silicosis. The full chemical name of the protein titin has about 189,819 letters and would take hours to say, but it is not considered a real dictionary word. Antidisestablishmentarianism, at 28 letters, is famous as the longest non-technical word, meaning opposition to removing the Church of Englandβs official status. Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious, 34 letters, was popularised by the 1964 film Mary Poppins.
Key Facts
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"Can You Say It? The Longest Words in the English Language"