Glossary of Fun Words

Sometimes new words can be a lot of fun. This glossary contains three types of fun words: words
that are unusually specific and therefore perfect for certain situations, like specious (seeming
good or sound at first but lacking real merit) and apolaustic (wholly devoted to the seeking of
enjoyment); words that are simply fun to say, like absquatulate (flee, make off; abscond) and
quidnunc (a busybody or a gossip); and, my favorite, words for things you never knew there
were words for, like omphalopsychite (one who contemplates his navel) and nothosonomia (the
act of calling someone a bastard).

absquatulate
flee, make off; abscond.
agelast
one who never laughs.
aglet
the plastic tip on the end of a shoelace.
agrestic
characteristic of the country, rustic; also, unpolished or uncouth.
akimbo
of the arms, with the hands on the hips and elbows bent outward. "He stood akimbo and
surveyed the wreckage."
anadromous
of fish, migrating up rivers from the sea to spawn in fresh water.
anile
like a doddering, foolish old woman.
anserine
goose-like; also, silly, foolish, or stupid.
anthropophagy
cannibalism.
apolaustic
wholly devoted to the seeking of enjoyment.
arcadian
idyllically pastoral, simple, or untroubled.
avuncular
of or pertaining to an uncle; also, uncle-like.
barratry
the offense of frequently stirring up lawsuits or quarrels; also, in maritime law, fraud or
gross criminal negligence by a captain or crew at the expense of a ship's owner or of the
owner of a ship's cargo.
bastinado
torture by beating on the soles of the feet.
bezonian
a scoundrel.
bibliobibuli
those who read too much.
biffy
a toilet or outhouse.
bodewash
dried buffalo dung, used as fuel for fire.
boeotian
stupid, dull, obtuse; also, such a person.
bolus
a large medicinal pill; also, a mass of chewed food.
boondoggle
an unnecessary activity or wasteful expenditure.
borborygmic
pertaining to the rumbling of one's stomach or intestines.
bosky
having an abundance of trees or shrubbery.
brobdingnagian
enormous, immense.
brummagem
cheap and showy but inferior and worthless.
buccal
of or pertaining to the cheek or the mouth.
bugaboo
something that causes baseless fear or worry; also, a false belief used to intimidate.
bumf
toilet paper; also, worthless paperwork, literature, or junk mail.
callipygian
one having shapely buttocks. See also: steatopygian.
captious
apt to raise objections to trivial faults or defects; given to fault-finding; difficult to please.
caryatid
a draped female figure supporting an entablature.
caseifaction
the act of turning into cheese.
cataglottism
kissing with the tongue.
cerumen
earwax.
chatoyant
changing in luster or color, as cat's eyes.
chthonic
dwelling in the underworld.
cicisbeo
a male escort or lover of a married woman.
collation
a light meal.
contumelious
insolently abusive and humiliating.
corrigendum
a mistake to be corrected, especially an error in a printed book.
corybantic
frenzied or agitated.
crapulous
 given to, characterized by, or suffering from gross excess in eating and drinking.
cynosure
a center of attraction or admiration.
dandle
to dance (a child) on one's knees; the action taken by a dandler.
deasil
clockwise. See also: widdershins.
defenestrate
to throw out of a window
dendrochronology
the study of growth rings on trees.
dipsomania
uncontrollable craving for alcohol.
discalced
barefooted.
doddle
something easy or requiring little effort.
donnybrook
a brawl or heated public dispute.
dottle
the plug of unburned tobacco left in a pipe after smoking.
draggle
make wet and dirty by dragging on the ground.
ecdysiast
stripper.
edacious
devouring, consuming, voracious.
eesome
pleasing to the eye.
emollient
characteristic of that which softens or soothes the skin.
enantiodromic
characteristic of something that has become its opposite.
energumen
one who is possessed by a demonic entity.
epeolatry
worship of words.
epigone
an undistinguished imitator or descendant of an illustrious person or family.
eructation
belching; also, discharge of a volcano.
esprit d'escalier
a remark that occurs to someone later, after it should have been said (often a witty retort
that occurs after the moment to use it has passed).
estivate
to spend the summer.
esurient
hungry.
evancalous
 pleasant to embrace.
expiscate
to learn through laborious investigation.
exsanguinate
to drain blood from.
factotum
employee or assistant who does just about everything.
fantods
a state of nervous irritability; the fidgets; the willies. "Waiting for this semester's report
card is giving me the fantods."
fernticle
freckle.
fescue
a small stick used to point out letters to a child learning to read.
flews
the pendulous corners of the upper lip of certain dogs, such as the bloodhound.
floccinaucinihilipilification
the categorizing of something as worthless.
flummery
meaningless chatter; also, deceptive language.
footle
to talk or act foolishly; to waste time.
foudroyant
dazzling, flashing; also, thunderous, noisy.
friable
easily crumbled; crumbly.
frisson
an emotional thrill; a shudder of emotion.
frowzy
ill-smelling, musty; also, slovenly, unkempt.
fugacious
fleeting, transitory; difficult to capture.
gallimaufry
jumble or medley; hodgepodge.
geck
a dupe.
genuflect
bend the knee and lower the body, especially in reverence.
gleek
to joke or jest.
gobbledygook
windy gibberish or jargon.
gorbellied
corpulent.
gormless
dull, stupid, clumsy.
gound
the gunk that collects in the corners of the eyes during sleep.
gowpen
 two hands placed together to form a bowl-shape; also, the amount that can be contained
in a pair of cupped hands.
graustark
an imaginary place of high romance.
grimthorpe
remodel or restore an old building without proper grounding or knowledge of its
authentic character or without exercising care to remain faithful to its original quality and
uniqueness; after Baron Grimthorpe, English lawyer and architect, restorer of St. Alban's
cathedral.
hallux
big toe.
hangdog
shamefaced, browbeaten, or intimidated.
hebdomedal
weekly.
hircine
goat-like; also, lustful.
hirple
to hobble or walk lamely.
hornswoggle
bamboozle, deceive.
hoyden
a boisterous, carefree girl; a tomboy.
infucate
to apply cosmetics.
inglenook
a nook by a fireplace.
insouciant
blithely unconcerned.
insufflate
to blow on or breathe into.
izzat
honor, prestige, reputation.
jillick
to skip a stone across water.
jocoserious
combining serious and humorous matters.
jugulate
to slit the throat.
kalopsia
the delusion that things are more beautiful than they really are.
katzenjammer
a loud, discordant noise; also, a hangover; also, a state of depression or bewilderment.
kibitz
to look on and offer unsolicited, meddlesome advice; to make wisecracks when others are
trying to work or speak seriously.
kickshaw
a trinket or bauble; a culinary delicacy.
lambent
 softly radiant; of a light or flame, playing on a surface without burning it; also, dealing
lightly and gracefully with a subject of discussion.
lapidate
to stone to death.
latrinalia
graffiti found in restrooms.
legerdemain
slight of hand; magic tricks.
liripipe
a long scarf or cord attached to and hanging from a hood.
ludic
characterized by playfulness.
macerate
to make or become soft by steeping in a liquid; also, to waste away by fasting.
madefy
moisten.
maffick
to rejoice with an extravagant and boisterous public celebration.
malinger
pretend to be ill in order to avoid work or shirk duty.
marmoreal
resembling marble.
mawkish
excessively or feebly sentimental; also, having a faint, sickly taste.
meldrop
a drop of mucus at the end of the nose.
mendacious
telling lies, especially habitually; untruthful.
miasma
a noxious atmosphere or influence; unpleasant or unwholesome air.
misprision
neglect or wrongful action committed by a public official.
moiety
about half of something.
monomania
obsession with one idea or interest.
moonglade
the bright reflection of the moon on a body of water.
mordant
bitingly sarcastic.
mosh
to engage in uninhibited, frenzied activities with others near the stage at a rock concert.
See also: mosh pit.
mosh pit
the place near the stage at a rock concert where moshing occurs. See also: mosh.
mulct
to take money from, by taxation or by trickery.
mundungus
stinky tobacco.
myrmidon
an unscrupulously faithful follower; henchman.
napiform
resembling a turnip.
neologist
one who makes up new words.
nidify
to build a nest.
noctambulist
a sleepwalker; somnambulist.
nosocomephrenia
depression due to a prolonged hospital stay.
nothosonomia
the act of calling someone a bastard.
nudiustertian
pertaining to the day before yesterday.
nyctalopia
night blindness.
obdormition
numbness caused by pressure on a nerve, as when one's foot is "asleep."
obnubilate
cloud over, darken, or obscure.
ochlocracy
mob rule.
octothorpe
the '#' symbol; also, "octothorp."
omphalopsychite
one who contemplates his navel. See also: omphaloskepsis.
omphaloskepsis
contemplation of one's navel. See also: omphalopsychite.
opsimath
one who begins to learn late in life.
ort
a scrap of food left after a meal is completed.
osculate
kiss.
ovoviviparous
producing eggs that hatch within the female's body without obtaining nourishment from
it.
oxter
armpit.
pandiculation
the stretching that accompanies yawning.
panjandrum
a pompous official or pretender; also, the mock title of a self-important person.
pate
top of the head, usually a bald head.
penny-farthing
an old-fashioned kind of bicycle with a huge front wheel.
penultimate
next to last.
perendinate
to put off until the day after tomorrow; also, to keep postponing from day to day.
peripatetic
going from place to place; itinerant.
philtrum
the vertical groove between the nose and upper lip.
picaresque
of fiction, dealing with the adventures of a rogue.
pilose
covered with hair.
pilpul
a nitpicking, unproductive argument.
pinguid
fat; also, greasy.
placebo
a harmless substance given as medicine, usually to humor a patient.
poetaster
an inferior poet.
popinjay
a talkative and conceited person.
popliteal
of or pertaining to the back of the knee.
preponderate
to surpass others in numbers, intensity, force, or prowess.
prescind
turn aside.
psithurism
a low whispering sound, such as the rustle of leaves.
puckeroo
useless, broken.
pulchritude
attractiveness.
purulent
containing, consisting of, or discharging pus.
pusillanimous
timid, faint-hearted, or cowardly.
quidnunc
a busybody or a gossip.
quincunx
the pattern of five objects arranged such that four of the five objects form a square, while
the fifth is positioned in the middle. "The dots on the '5' side of a die are arranged in a
quincunx."
quisquilious
like rubbish; trashy, worthless.
raconteur
one skilled in telling stories.
rebarbative
 causing aversion or irritation.
recension
an editorial revision of a literary work.
recidivist
one who continually commits crime and seems incurable of criminal tendencies.
recrudesce
of a disease, sore, or hostile feeling, to break out again.
renitent
resistant to pressure.
retroussé
turned up at the tip, especially a nose.
rhabdomantist
one who practices divination by means of a rod to locate underground water; a dowser.
riant
smiling.
sanguinary
bloodthirsty; murderous.
sanguine
cheerfully confident or optimistic; also, having a healthy, reddish color.
saturnine
characteristic of a person having a gloomy or forbidding appearance.
scuttlebutt
gossip.
seersucker
a light, thin fabric, such as cotton or rayon, with a crinkled surface and a usually striped
pattern.
serendipity
the faculty of accidentally making happy, unexpected discoveries.
sericate
silky.
simous
having a very flat or snub nose, with the end turned up.
skosh
a small amount; a tad.
smithereens
fragments or splintered pieces.
snollygoster
a shrewd, unprincipled person.
sockdolager
a conclusive blow or remark; also, something outstanding.
somnambulist
a sleepwalker; noctambulist.
spanghew
to cause a frog or toad to fly up in the air.
spartle
to move the body or limbs in a sprawling or struggling manner.
specious
seeming good or sound at first but lacking real merit.
squabash
 to crush with criticism.
squidger
the huge disc, or wink, used to propel other winks in the game of Tiddly-Winks.
squiffed
intoxicated.
steatopygian
one having fat buttocks. See also: callipygian.
sternutation
the act of sneezing; also, a sneeze.
stymie
to thwart, stump, or obstruct.
subderisorious
ridiculing in moderation.
subfusc
drab, dusty.
suppurate
to form pus; to fester.
susurration
whispering, murmuring, or rustling.
sycophant
one who attempts to gain a personal advantage by servile flattery.
tantalolagnia
arousal caused by teasing.
tantivy
a headlong dash or rapid gallop; also, characteristic of one in a tantivy; also, the blare of a
trumpet or horn. "The man was running tantivy after the thief."
tauromachy
the art of bullfighting.
tenebrific
producing darkness; obscuring.
tergiversate
to turn one's back on one's party or cause; also, to make evasive statements or equivocate.
termagant
a shrewish, bullying woman.
thewy
muscled, brawny.
tintinnabulous
of or relating to bells or the ringing of bells.
tizzy
a state of nervous excitement or confusion; a dither.
tohubohu
a state of chaos, disorder, and confusion.
tonsure
the shaving of the head of those entering certain priesthoods or monastic orders; also, the
part of the head left bare after such a shaving.
tragus
the little flap of cartilage that projects over the hole in one's ear.
trollop
a promiscuous woman.
twee
affectedly cute or quaint; overly precious or nice.
ultra-crepidarian
giving opinions or criticism beyond one's own range of experience.
ululate
lament loudly and shrilly; wail.
umbrage
the feeling of being offended.
undulate
sway in place.
uvula
the thing that hangs down in the back of one's throat.
vermiculate
having wavy, wormlike lines or motion; sinuous, tortuous.
vexillologist
one who studies flags.
vicarious
characteristic of feelings or emotions felt or shared imaginatively through the feelings or
emotions of another person.
vicissitude
a change of circumstances affecting one's life.
walla-walla
the unintelligible sound made by many people talking at once.
welter
wriggle, writhe.
whelm
to cover or engulf completely, usually with disastrous effect.
whinge
complain fretfully, whine.
widdershins
counterclockwise; also, in a contrary direction. Same as "withershins." See also: deasil.
withershins
See: widdershins.
 Commonly Mispronounced Words

Some words in the English language are often mispronounced when spoken. Here are a few
commonly mispronounced words with their correct pronunciations and most common
mispronunciations.

• across (a-CROSS) - Incorrect: (a-CROST)

• athlete (ATH-leet) - Incorrect: (ATH-a-leet)
• Arctic (ARC-tic) - Incorrect: (AR-tic)
• comfortable (COM-fort-a-ble, COMF-ta-ble) - Incorrect: (COMF-ter-ble)
• electoral (eh-LEK-tor-al) - Incorrect: (eh-lek-TOR-al)
• espresso (ess-PRESS-oh) - Incorrect: (ex-PRESS-oh)
• February (FEB-roo-air-y) - Incorrect: (Feb-yoo-air-y)
• figure (FIG-yer) - Incorrect: (fig-er)
• forte (FORT) - Correct only as the music term: (for-TAY)
• insouciant (in-SOO-see-ant) - Incorrect: (in-SOO-shant)
• lambaste (lam-BASTE) - Incorrect: (lam-BAST)
• library (LIBE-rare-ee) - Incorrect: (LIBE-air-ee)
• menstruation (men-stroo-A-shun) - Incorrect: (men-STRAY-shun)
• minuscule (MIN-uh-skyool) - Incorrect: (MIN-ih-skyool)
• nuclear (NUKE-lee-ar) - Incorrect: (NUKE-yoo-lar)
• nuptial (NUP-shul) - Incorrect: (NUP-shoo-al)
• often (OFF-en) - Incorrect: (OFT-en)
• percolate (PERC-o-late) - Incorrect: (PERC-u-late)
• plenitude (PLEN-i-tude) - Incorrect: (PLENT-i-tude)
• probably (PROB-ab-ly) - Incorrect: (PRAH-bal-ly, PROB-ly)
• pronunciation (pro-NUN-see-A-shun) - Incorrect: (pro-NOUN-see-A-shun)
• supposedly (sup-POSE-ed-ly) - Incorrect: (sup-POSE-ab-ly)
• taut (TAUT) - Incorrect: (TAUNT)
• toward (TOW-ward) - Incorrect: (TOR-ward)

Commonly Misspelled Words

Some words are easy to spell. Some aren't. Some are spelled like they sound. Some aren't. The
following is a list of frequently misspelled words. In some cases, a particularly common
misspelling is given in parentheses. Sometimes these alternate spellings are listed in permissive
dictionaries as spelling "variants," but this does not mean these spellings are correct spellings.
(The word "ain't" is in the dictionary, too, but it's not correct.)
• accelerate • exercise (excercise) • pastime (pasttime)
• accidentally (accidently) • exhilarate • peninsula
• accommodate • existence (existance) • pharaoh (pharoah)
• accordion (accordian) • Fahrenheit • pigeon (pidgeon)
• accumulate • fiery (firey) • pistachio (pistacchio)
• acquaintance • flabbergast • playwright
(acquaintence, aquaintance) (flabberghast) • plenitude (plentitude)
• acquire (aquire) • flotation (floatation) • precede
• acquit (aquit) • frustum (frustrum) • presumptuous
• aficionado • gauge (presumptious)
• a lot (alot) • genius (genious; see • proceed
• amateur "ingenious") • pronunciation
• anoint • grammar (grammer) (pronounciation)
• apology • gross • propagate
• argument (arguement) • guttural • privilege (priviledge)
• atheist • handkerchief • puerile
• a while (awhile) (hankerchief) • pursue (persue)
• axle (axel) • harass (harrass) • putrefy
• barbecue (barbeque) • horrific • raspberry
• believable (believeable) • hypocrisy • receipt
• believe • imitate • receive
• broccoli • immediately • recommend
• camouflage • inadvertent • refrigerator
• cantaloupe (inadvertant) (refridgerator)
• carburetor • incidentally • renowned
• Caribbean (incidently) • rhythm
• cartilage • incredible • ridiculous
• cemetery (cemetary) • independent • sacrilegious
• chauvinism (chauvanism) • indispensable • sandal
• chili (indispensible) • savvy
• chocolaty (chocolatey) • ingenious (ingenius; • seize (sieze)
• coliseum, also colosseum see "genius") • sensible (sensable)
(colliseum) • inoculate (innoculate) • separate
• collectible (collectable) • irascible • septuagenarian
• colonel • irresistible (irresistable) (septagenarian)
• commemorate • judgment (judgement) • sergeant
• congratulations • led (lead) • sheriff
• conscious • liaison • shish kebab
• consensus • lieutenant • siege
• coolly • liquefy (liquify) • similar
• daiquiri • lose (loose) • simile
• Dalmatian (Dalmation) • maneuver, also • sorcerer (sorceror)
• deceive manoeuvre • subpoena
• defendant • marshmallow • supersede (supercede)
• definite (definate) (marshmellow) • tariff
• desiccate • medieval, also • their
• desperate mediaeval • there
 • deterrence • memento (momento) • they're
• development • millennium • threshold
(developement) (millenium) • tongue
• diorama • minuscule (miniscule) • too (to)
• disappear • mischief (mischeif) • tragedy
• disappoint • mischievous • tyranny
• dissipate (mischievious) • ukulele (ukelele)
• drunkenness (drunkeness) • misogyny • until (untill)
• dumbbell (dumbell) • missile • vacuum
• ecstasy • misspell (mispell) • vicious
• nauseous • weird
• embarrass • necessary
• no one (noone) • you're (your
• occasion
• occurrence
• octopus
• onomatopoeia
• parallel

• parliament

Negatives Without Positives

In English, the prefixes in and un, along with others, are used to negate certain root words. The
antonym of sane, for example, is insane, and the antonym of stoppable, for example, is
unstoppable. But some words that appear to be negated with prefixes have no positive. The
opposite of inept is not ept -- there is no such word.

Words With No Positive Forms

• debunk • infernal
• defenestrate • inhibited
• dejected • insidious
• disconsolate • insipid
• disgruntled • insouciant
• dishevelled • intact
• dismayed • invert
• feckless • misgivings
• gormless • misnomer
• impetuous • nonchalant
• impromptu • noncommittal
 • inane • nondescript
• incessant • nonpareil
• inchoate • nonplussed
• incognito • unbeknownst
• incommunicado • ungainly
• indomitable • unnerved
• ineffable • unswerving
• inept • untold

• inert • untoward

Words With Uncommon Positive Forms

The following words do have positives, formed by removing the negating prefix, but the positive
forms of these words are far less common:

• disarray • insufferable
• disconcerting • interminable
• immaculate • unbridled
• impeccable • unflappable
• inadvertent • unfurl
• incapacitated • unkempt
• incorrigible • unmitigated
• inevitable • unrequited
• innocent • unruly
• inscrutable • unthinkable

• insensate • unwieldy

Collective Nouns

One of the craziest oddities of the English language is that there are so many different collective
nouns that all mean "group" but which are specific to what particular thing there is a group of: a
herd of elephants, a crowd of people, a box of crayons, a pad of paper, etc. There is great
diversity of collective nouns associated with animals, from a sleuth of bears to a murder of
crows. The following is a list of the correct terms to describe groups of various types of animals.
Collective Name Animal Collective Name Animal

herd of antelope cry of hounds

army of ants mute of hounds
colony of ants pack of hounds
swarm of ants charm of hummingbirds
shrewdness of apes clan of hyenas
flange of baboons band of jays
tribe of baboons party of jays
culture of bacteria scold of jays
cete of badgers smack of jellyfish
colony of badgers herd of kangaroos
sleuth of bears mob of kangaroos
sloth of bears troop of kangaroos
pack of bears (polar bears) deceit of lapwings
colony of beavers ascension of larks
lodge of beavers exaltation of larks
flight of bees leap of leopards
grist of bees leep of leopards
hive of bees lepe of leopards
swarm of bees pride of lions
congregation of birds sault of lions
dissimulation of birds sowse of lions
flight of birds troop of lions
flock of birds lounge of lizards
volery of birds herd of llamas
sedge of bitterns plague of locusts
siege of bitterns tidings of magpies
herd of boar sord of mallards
singular of boar stud of mares
sounder of boar richness of martens
chain of bobolinks horde of mice
brace of bucks mischief of mice
clash of bucks nest of mice
herd of buffalo company of moles
rabble of butterflies labor of moles
swarm of butterflies movement of moles
wake of buzzards cartload of monkeys
flock of camels tribe of monkeys
army of caterpillars troop of monkeys
clowder of cats troup of monkeys
clutter of cats herd of moose
glaring of cats barren of mules
pounce of cats pack of mules
dout of cats (house cats) rake of mules
 Commonly Confused Words

Abjure and Adjure

Abjure means to "renounce" or "repudiate." Adjure means "request earnestly." The words have
little in common other than their rarity and similarity of spelling, so they should not be confused.

Adopted and Adoptive

Adopted and adoptive both mean "acquired through adoption," but they are not synomyms. One
is the reciprocal of the other. A child with adoptive parents is adopted; parents with an adopted
child are adoptive. The difference lies in who is doing the adopting. The parents adopt the child,
so the child is adopted. The child is adopted by the parents, and so the parents are adoptive.

Adverse and Averse

Adverse means "antagonistic." Averse means "feeling disclined." The word averse is more
recognizable in two more commonly used forms: avert and aversion.

Affect and Effect

These words are commonly confused, and the rules given to tell them apart are often wrong.
Affect means "to influence" or "to produce an effect in." Effect means "consequence" or "that
which is produced by an agent or cause."

Many try to differentiate between the two by saying that affect is a verb, while effect is a noun.
Unfortunately, it's not so simple. The word affect can also serve as a noun, meaning "observed or
expressed emotional response," and the word effect can also serve as a verb, meaning "to become
operative" or "to carry out," as in, "to effect changes."

Aggravate and Annoy

Aggravate means "worsen." Annoy means "bother" or "exasperate" or "provoke." Many speakers
and writers use aggravate to mean "annoy." Although aggravate has been used in this manner for
four hundred years, considerable controversy over this use exists today. Some contend that using
aggravate to mean anything other than "worsen" compromises the effectiveness of the word by
blurring the distinction it has from similar words. Others argue that annoy can be said to mean
"worsen one's temper," which suggests that aggravate is not so inappropriate to use as a
synonym for annoy after all. My recommendation is to understand that aggravate means
"worsen" and not "bother," but then feel free to use aggravate in contexts where it would be
taken to mean "worsen one's temper" rather than "bother" or "irritate."

Allude and Refer

Allude means to refer to something indirectly or covertly. Refer, without qualification, implies
referring to something directly, by naming. Frequently allude is misused to mean "refer directly,"
but this is an abuse of an otherwise useful, specific word.

Anxious and Eager

Anxious means "troubled" or "worried." Eager means "having keen interest" or "impatient
expectancy." When anxious is used to describe someone's expectancy, it is often incorrectly used
to mean "eager," which has a far more positive connotation. One may be anxious about an
impending report card, but one would be eager to go on a long-awaited vacation.

Chafe and Chaff

Chafe means "to make sore by rubbing" or "irritate or annoy" or "become annoyed." Chaff means
"tease good-naturedly." Consequently, one should not become confused with the other.

Compliment and Complement

Compliment is a "remark of praise." Complement is "something that completes." Note that free
refreshments are complimentary; the word refers to the phrase "with our compliments."

Continual and Continuous

Both continual and continuous describe an action or process that occurs over a long period of
time. Continual, however, permits that the action may be interrupted by short breaks. Continuous
means that the action never pauses. We live continuous lives, eating and sleeping continually.

Deserts and Desserts

Most English speakers understand that deserts, with the accent on the first syllable, are a dry,
arid lands, while desserts, with the accent on the second syllable, are a sweet things to eat after a
meal. What is often confused is that when one gets what one is deserves, good or bad, one is
getting one's "just deserts," accent on the second syllable but spelled like the dry, arid lands.

Discomfort and Discomfit

Discomfort means "uneasiness or hardship" and "make uncomfortable." Discomfit means

"disconcert" and "defeat; thwart." Discomfort comes from Middle English, from the Old French
word desconfort. Discomfit comes from the Middle English word discomfiten, from the Old
French word desconfit.

Discrete and Discreet

Discrete means "discontinuous" or "individually distinct." Discreet means "judicious." The

words are understandably often confused, but they should remain distinct.

Effective and Effectual

Effective means "producing an effect" or "in effect." Effectual means "producing a desired
effect." A law that is effective is only effectual when it is enforced.

Energize and Enervate

Energize means "give energy to," while enervate means "to cause to lose vitality or energy."
Sometimes enervate is mistakenly believed to mean "energize," and this is a grievous error, as
enervate is actually an antonym of energize.

Enormousness and Enormity

Enormousness means "largeness" or "immensity." Enormity means "depravity" or "wickedness"

and also means a "crime" or "error." Frequently the word enormity is mistaken to mean
"enormousness," which it does not. The two words do originally derive from the same Latin
word, enormis, with the word enormity being derived through the French word enormite, but the
distinction between the two English words has existed for hundreds of years.

Flack and Flak

Flack is a noun that means "press agent" or "publicist" and a verb that means "to act as a press
agent." Flak is a noun that means "anti-aircraft artillery" or "bursting of shells fired form anti-
aircraft artillery" or, more commonly, "excessive or abusive criticism" or "dissension,
opposition." If you criticize someone, you are giving them flak, not flack.

Flaunt and Flout

Flaunt means "display ostentatiously." Flout means to "disobey openly and scornfully" or "show
contempt for." Some use one for the other, but confusing the two words is still widely seen as an
error and best avoided.

Forcible and Forceful

Forcible means "accomplished by force." Forceful means "powerful and vigorous." Something
that is forcible can be accomplished with forceful effort.

Fortuitous and Fortunate

Fortuitous means "happening by chance" or "accidental." Fortunate means "lucky." A fortuitous

event may be, but is not necessarily, a fortunate event.

Founder and Flounder

Founder means "to fail completely." Often it is used to refer to a ship, in which case it means, "to
fill with water and sink." Flounder has a less severe definition; it means "to move clumsily or
with difficulty" or "to make mistakes or become confused." Although the two words are similar
in spelling, they are derived from different sources. Founder comes from the Latin word fundus,
meaning "bottom." Flounder comes from Middle English, from the Anglo-Norman word
floundre, of Scandinavian origin. We can flounder but recover, but when we founder, it's final.

Full and Fulsome

Fulsome is sometimes mistaken as a synonym for full or fullest, when, in fact, its meaning bears
no resemblance to full whatsoever. Fulsome means "cloying, excessive, and disgusting."
Although both words have similar etymological roots, the English definitions are divergent
enough to cause some gross misunderstandings when the words are confused, particularly in
incorrect expressions such as "fulsome praise" and "fulsome apologies."

Imply and Infer

Imply means to "hint or suggest without stating directly." Infer means "reach an opinion from
facts or reasoning." The two terms are sometimes mistaken to be interchangeable. In actuality,
they are quite distinct. The sender of an indirectly stated message is doing the implying, while a
receiver that reasons what the message is is doing the inferring.

Inanity and Inanition

Inanity means "foolishness" or "senselessness." Inanition means "lacking vigor."

Incredulous and Incredible

Incredulous means "unbelieving" or "skeptical." Incredible means "unbelievable" or "hard to

believe." If something incredible happens, you may be incredulous.

Ingenious and Ingenuous

Ingenious means "clever and inventive." Ingenuous means "open, frank, and sincere" and also
"naive, unsophisticated." The words have similar origins, hence the similar spelling, but their
meanings have been distinct for centuries.

Lightening and Lightning

Lightening refers to something illuminating or brightening. Lightning is what is accompanied by

thunder during storms.

Loath and Loathe

Loath is an adjective, meaning "disinclined" or "reluctant." Loathe is a verb, meaning "feel

hatred or disgust for." Confusion often arises about not only what they mean but how they are
pronounced. Loath has a soft th sound, while loathe has a hard th sound.

Luxurious and Luxuriant

Luxurious means "supplied with luxuries." Luxuriant means "growing profusely." Some consider
it acceptable to use luxuriant to mean luxurious, but the best policy is to keep the words distinct.

Mucous and Mucus

Mucous is an adjective, as in, "a mucous gland." Mucus is a noun, as in, "There is mucus
emanating from my mucous glands."

Nauseous, Nauseated, and Nauseating

Nauseated means "caused to feel nausea." Nauseating means "causing to feel nausea." If you are
nauseated, it is because something else is nauseating. There is no controversy about the meaning
of these words, but there is much controversy over what nauseous means. Commonly, the word
nauseous is used to mean "nauseated," but some maintain that it should only ever be used to
mean "nauseating." In actuality, the word nauseous has meant both for over 400 years, and there
is little reason to dispute an accepted usage of a word that dates back to the times in which the
English language was at the summit of its development.

Niggard and N***er

The word niggard, which means "miser," and its adjective form niggardly, have fallen under
attack in recent years due to the relatively recent appearance of n***er, the similarly-spelled
racial slur against African-Americans. The objection to the use of niggard on grounds of racial
discrimination is unfounded. Apart from the similar spelling, the two words have nothing to do
with each other. Historically and etymologically, the two words have had no relation; one did not
derive from the other. Niggard comes from Middle English, which in term comes from the
Scandinavian word nig. The racial slur is a much more recent word, originating from the Middle
French word negre, from the Spanish word negro, from the Latin word niger. These early
variations were not considered racial slurs; the derogatory connotation only started showing up
as recently as the mid-1900s.

Noisome and Noisy

Noisome means "harmful" or "offensive" or "disgusting." Obviously it does not share any shade
of meaning with noisy, and so the two words should not be confused with one another.

Passed and Past

Passed is a past tense verb. Past can be a noun, adjective, adverb, or preposition -- never a verb.

Peccable and Peccant

Peccable means "capable of sinning." Peccant means "guilty of sinning."

Perspicacious and Perspicuous

Perspicacious means "having or showing insight." Perspicuous means "easily understood" or
"lucid," or, when referring to a person, "expressing things clearly."

Practicable and Practical

Practicable means "usable," while practical means "useful." Not all practicable things are
practical, and not all practical things are practicable.

Sanguine and Sanguinary

Sanguine means "hopeful" or "optimistic" or "confident." Sanguinary means "bloody" or

"murderous." Obviously these are two words it's better not to confuse, lest you convey entirely
the wrong idea about something.

Stanch and Staunch

Stanch is a verb that means "restrain a flow." Staunch is an adjective that means "firm in attitude,
opinion, or loyalty." Both words are pronounced the same way. The distinction is actually quite
recent; a hundred years ago, the two words were treated as interchangeable spelling variants.
Such is no longer the case, so it's important to distinguish one from the other.

Stationary and Stationery

Stationary is an adjective that means "not moving." Stationery is a noun that means "writing
paper and envelopes."

Titillate and Titivate

Titillate means "stimulate pleasantly" or "tickle." Titivate means "adorn" or "spruce up." The
similarity in spelling is coincidental. Titillate comes from the Latin word titillare, which means
"tickle. Titivate is a newer word which comes from the earlier word tidivate, which is likely
derived from the words tidy and elevate.

Tortuous and Torturous

Tortuous means full of twists and turns. Torturous means "causing or involving torture or
suffering." These words are sometimes confused because of their similar spelling, but there is no
further similarity.

Turbid and Turgid

Turbid means "unclear, obscure, confused, disordered" and, when referring to liquids, "muddy,
thick, unclear." Turgid means "enlarged, swollen" and, when referring to language, "pompous,
overblown grandiloquent." Because the two words are relatively uncommon, one is often
confused for the other. Turbid comes from the Latin word turbidus, meaning "disordered," from
turba, which means turmoil, possibly from the Greek word turbe. Turgid comes from the Latin
word turgidus, from turgere, which means, "to be swollen."
 Venal and Venial

Venal means "open to bribery" and "corruptible" and, when referring to conduct, "influenced by
bribery." Venial means "pardonable," when referring to a fault or sin, and "trifling, not serious"
when referring to misconduct.

Palindromes

A palindrome is a word or sentence that reads the same forward as it does backward. The words
a and I are perhaps the simplest and least interesting palindromes; the word racecar and the
name Hannah are more interesting and illustrative. Neither spaces nor punctuation are usually
taken into consideration when constructing sentences that are palindromes -- one of the most
famous palindromes is A man, a plan, a canal, Panama -- but when the spaces are properly
positioned as well, so much the better. An example would be the also famous palindrome Able
was I ere I saw Elba, purportedly spoken by Napoleon, referring to his first sighting of the River
Elba.

Palindromes are a type of palingram called letter palingrams. A palingram is a sentence in which
the letters, syllables, or words read the same backward as they do forward. The sentence, "He
was, was he?" is a word palingram, because the words can be placed in reverse order and still
read the same. The sentence, "I did, did I?" is not only a word palingram but a letter palingram
(or palindrome) as well.

A number of interesting palindromes are given below for your amusement. Can you make up
your own?

Words Phrases and Sentences

• Aibohphobia • A dog, a plan, a canal: pagoda.

• Alula • A man, a plan, a canal: Panama.
• Cammac • A new order began, a more Roman age bred
• Civic Rowena.
• Deified • A tin mug for a jar of gum, Nita.
• Deleveled • A Toyota. Race fast, safe car. A Toyota.
• Detartrated • Able was I ere I saw Elba.
• Devoved • Animal loots foliated detail of stool lamina.
• Dewed • Anne, I vote more cars race Rome to Vienna.
• Evitative • Are we not drawn onward, we few, drawn onward
• Hannah to new era?
• Kayak • As I pee, sir, I see Pisa!
• Kinnikinnik • Barge in! Relate mere war of 1991 for a were-
• Lemel metal Ernie grab!
• Level • Bombard a drab mob.
• Madam • Bush saw Sununu swash sub.
• Malayalam • Cain: a maniac.
• Minim • Cigar? Toss it in a can. It is so tragic.
• Murdrum • Daedalus: nine. Peninsula: dead.
• Peeweep • Dammit, I'm mad!
• Racecar • Delia saw I was ailed.
• Radar • Denim axes examined.
• Redder • Dennis and Edna sinned.
• Refer • Depardieu, go razz a rogue I draped.
• Reifier • Desserts, I stressed!
• Repaper • Did I draw Della too tall, Edward? I did?
• Reviver • Do good? I? No! Evil anon I deliver. I maim nine
• Rotator more hero-men in Saginaw, sanitary sword a-tuck,
• Rotavator Carol, I -- lo! -- rack, cut a drowsy rat in Aswan. I
• Rotor gas nine more hero-men in Miami. Reviled, I
• Sagas (Nona) live on. I do, O God!
• Solos • Doc, note I dissent: a fast never prevents a fatness.
• Sexes I diet on cod.
• Stats • Drab as a fool, aloof as a bard.
• Tenet • Drat Saddam, a mad dastard!
• Terret • Draw, O coward!
• Testset • Draw pupil's lip upward.
• Ed, I saw Harpo Marx ram Oprah W. aside.
Places • Eva, can I stab bats in a cave?
• Evil did I dwell; lewd I did live.
• Glenelg (Australia) • Gateman sees name, garageman sees name tag.
• Kanakanak (Alaska) • Go hang a salami; I'm a lasagna hog.
• Kinikinik (Colorado) • Goldenrod-adorned log.
• Navan (Meath, Ireland) • Golf? No sir, prefer prison-flog.
• Ward Draw (South Dakota) • Harass sensuousness, Sarah.
• Wassamassaw (South • I roamed under it as a tired, nude Maori.
Carolina) • Laminated E.T. animal.
• Yreka Bakery (Yreka, • Lay a wallaby baby ball away, Al.
California) • Lepers repel.
• Let O'Hara gain an inn in a Niagara hotel.
Not Quite Legitimate • Live not on evil.
• Lived on Decaf; faced no Devil.
• Doctor Reubenstein was • Lonely Tylenol.
shocked and dismayed • Ma is a nun, as I am.
when he answered the • Ma is as selfless as I am.
ringing telephone, only to • Madam, I'm Adam.
hear a strange, metallic, • Madam in Eden, I'm Adam.
alien voice say, "Yasec iovn • Marge lets Norah see Sharon's telegram.
eilacilla temeg! Nartsa • May a moody baby doom a yam.
raehoty lnoenoh pelet gnig, • Meet animals; laminate 'em.
nirehtde rewsnaehn ehw. • Mr. Owl ate my metal worm.
Deya! Msid! Dnadek • Murder for a jar of red rum.
cohssaw nietsne buerro, • Never odd or even.
tcod?" • No, Mel Gibson is a casino's big lemon.
 • No cab, no tuna nut on bacon.
• No lemon, no melon.
• No sir -- away! A papaya war is on.
• On a clover, if alive, erupts a vast, pure evil; a fire
volcano.
• Party boobytrap.
• Reviled did I live, said I, as evil I did deliver.
• Rise to vote, sir.
• Saw tide rose? So red it was.
• Senile felines.
• So many dynamos!
• Some men interpret nine memos.
• Stab nail at ill Italian bats.
• Stack cats.
• Stella won no wallets.
• Step on no pets.
• Stop! Murder us not, tonsured rumpots!
• Straw? No, too stupid a fad; I put soot on warts.
• T. Eliot, top bard, notes putrid tang emanating, is
sad. I'd assign it a name: gnat dirt upset on drab
pot-toilet.
• Tarzan raised Desi Arnaz' rat.
• Ten animals I slam in a net.
• Too bad I hid a boot.
• Was it a car or a cat I saw?
• Wonder if Sununu's fired now.
• Won't I panic in a pit now?
• Won't lovers revolt now?
• Yo, banana boy!

• Yo, bottoms up! (U.S. motto, boy.)

Commonly Looked Up Words

The following are believed to be the words most frequently looked up in dictionaries, excluding
vulgarities, based on studies of words looked up in online dictionaries between 1997 and 1998.
The words are listed in reverse order of frequency, and brief definitions are given. For complete
definitions, it is recommended that you look the words up in a proper dictionary.
paradigm
an example that serves as a pattern or model.
conundrum
a riddle answered by a pun; also, a paradoxical, insoluble, or difficult problem.
oxymoron
the juxtaposition of incongruous or contradictory terms.
ubiquitous
ominpresent.
bastion
a well-fortified position.
epiphany
a revelation.
serendipity
the faculty of making fortunate discoveries by accident.
encephalopathy
any of various brain diseases.
portcullis
a wooden or iron grate, suspended in front of a gateway and lowered to block passage.
heuristic
a speculative formulation which serves as a guide in the investigation of a problem.
metaphor
implied comparison between two things by calling or implying that one is the other.
pedantic
characterized by a narrow, often ostentatious concern for book learning and formal rules.
eclectic
selecting and employing individual elements from a variety of sources, systems, or styles.
misogynist
one who hates women.
hubris
overbearing pride; arrogance.
egregious
conspicuously bad or offensive.
acronym
a word fabricated from the initial letters of a name or phrase.
synergy
the interaction of multiple agents or forces in such a way that the combined effect is
greater than the sum of their individual effects.
ontology
the branch of metaphysics that deals with the nature of being.
nihilism
the belief that the destruction of existing political and/or social institutions is necessary
for future improvement.
algorithm
a step-by-step procedure for solving a particular problem or set of problems.
epistemology
the branch of philosophy that deals with the nature of knowledge.
esoteric
intended for or understood by only a particular group.
empirical
 relying on or derived from observation or experiment; guided by practical experience
rather than theory.
stochastic
conjectural; involving chance or randonmess.
integrity
the state of being unimpaired, sound, whole, complete, or strictly moral.
hyperbole
an exaggeration.
symbiosis
a relationship of mutually beneficial or dependence.
paradox
an apparent contradiction which may nevertheless be true.
pragmatic
dealing with facts and actual occurrences; practical.
obsequious
exhibiting servile compliance.
caveat
a warning, qualification, or explanation.
euthanasia
the practice of ending the life of an individual suffering from a terminal illness or
incurable condition.
rhetoric
the art or study of using language effectively and persuasively; more generally, verbal
communication.
hegemony
the predominant influence of one state over others.
holistic
emphasizing the whole and the interdependence of its parts.
kvetch
to complain persistently and whiningly
dichotomy
division into two usually contradictory parts or opinions.
sanguine
cheerfully confident or optimistic; also, having a healthy, reddish color.
semantic
of or relating to meaning.
deficit
inadequacy or insufficiency.
spongiform
soft and porous, as a sponge.
ambiguous
open to more than one interpretation.
superfluous
extraneous.
salient
strikingly conspicuous; prominent.
capricious
subject to whim; impulsive and unpredictable.
facetious
 playfully jocular; humorous.
sycophant
one who attempts to gain a personal advantage by servile flattery.
fascist
a dictatorial person.
protocol
a code of correct conduct.
agnostic
one who believes that existence of God cannot be known but does not deny the
possibility that God exists.
empathy
identification with and understanding of another's situation, feelings, and motives.
loquacious
talkative; garrulous.
ethereal
characterized by lightness and insubstantiality; intangible.
anomaly
something that is peculiar, irregular, abnormal, or difficult to classify.

Autograms

A self-referencing sentence is a sentence that describes itself. For example, "This sentence has
five words," or "This sentence contains nine syllables." A more interesting example is, "In this
sentence the word 'and' occurs twice, the word 'eight' occurs twice, the word 'four' occurs twice,
the word 'fourteen' occurs four times, the word 'in' occurs twice, the word 'occurs' occurs
fourteen times, the word 'sentence' occurs twice, the word 'seven' occurs twice, the word 'the'
occurs fourteen times, the word 'this' occurs twice, the word 'times' occurs seven times, the word
'twice' occurs eight times, and the word 'word' occurs fourteen times."

An autogram is a self-referencing sentence that describes its letter content. Here are some
autograms:

Sample Autograms

• This sentence contains only three a's, three c's, two d's, twenty-five e's, nine f's, four g's,
eight h's, twelve i's, three l's, fifteen n's, nine o's, eight r's, twenty-four s's, eighteen t's,
five u's, four v's, six w's, two x's, and four y's.
• This sentence employs two a's, two c's, two d's, twenty-eight e's, five f's, three g's, eight
h's, eleven i's, three l's, two m's, thirteen n's, nine o's, two p's, five r's, twenty-five s's,
twenty-three t's, six v's, ten w's, two x's, five y's, and one z.
• This sentence employs two a's, two c's, two d's, twenty-six e's, four f's, two g's, seven h's,
nine i's, three l's, two m's, thirteen n's, ten o's, two p's, six r's, twenty-eight s's, twenty-
three t's, two u's, five v's, eleven w's, three x's, and five y's.
 An Autogram That Documents Total Letter Content

• This sentence contains one hundred and ninety-seven letters: four a's, one b, three c's, five
d's, thirty-four e's, seven f's, one g, six h's, twelve i's, three l's, twenty-six n's, ten o's, ten
r's, twenty-nine s's, nineteen t's, six u's, seven v's, four w's, four x's, five y's, and one z.

An Autogram That Documents Punctuation

• Only the fool would take trouble to verify that his sentence was composed of ten a's,
three b's, four c's, four d's, forty-six e's, sixteen f's, four g's, thirteen h's, fifteen i's, two
k's, nine l's, four m's, twenty-five n's, twenty-four o's, five p's, sixteen r's, forty-one s's,
thirty-seven t's, ten u's, eight v's, eight w's, four x's, eleven y's, twenty-seven commas,
twenty-three apostrophes, seven hyphens and, last but not least, a single !

Autograms That Are Also Pangrams

A pangram is a sentence that contains every letter of the alphabet at least once. Note the
pangrams page at this site for some minimal pangrams -- sentences that try to be as short as
possible while still containing every letter of the alphabet. Here, however, are some pangrams
that are also autograms.

Sample Autograms (Which Are Also Pangrams)

• This autogram contains five a's, one b, two c's, two d's, thirty-one e's, five f's, five g's,
eight h's, twelve i's, one j, one k, two l's, two m's, eighteen n's, sixteen o's, one p, one q,
six r's, twenty-seven s's, twenty-one t's, three u's, seven v's, eight w's, three x's, four y's,
and one z.
• This autogram contains five a's, one b, two c's, two d's, twenty-six e's, six f's, two g's,
four h's, thirteen i's, one j, one k, one l, two m's, twenty-one n's, sixteen o's, one p, one q,
five r's, twenty-seven s's, twenty t's, three u's, six v's, nine w's, five x's, five y's, and one z.
• This pangram contains four a's, one b, two c's, one d, thirty e's, six f's, five g's, seven h's,
eleven i's, one j, one k, two l's, two m's, eighteen n's, fifteen o's, two p's, one q, five r's,
twenty-seven s's, eighteen t's, two u's, seven v's, eight w's, two x's, three y's, & one z.
• This pangram contains four a's, one b, two c's, one d, twenty-six e's, six f's, three g's, six
h's, eleven i's, one j, one k, two l's, two m's, seventeen n's, fifteen o's, two p's, one q, eight
r's, thirty s's, seventeen t's, four u's, four v's, six w's, six x's, three y's, & one z.
• This pangram employs four a's, one b, one c, two d's, thirty-six e's, three f's, three g's, ten
h's, seven i's, one j, one k, three l's, three m's, seventeen n's, twelve o's, three p's, one q,
ten r's, twenty-eight s's, twenty-two t's, two u's, six v's, seven w's, three x's, five y's, and
one z.
• This pangram employs four a's, one b, one c, two d's, thirty-six e's, six f's, three g's,
eleven h's, ten i's, one j, one k, three l's, three m's, eighteen n's, thirteen o's, three p's, one
q, fourteen r's, twenty-six s's, nineteen t's, five u's, three v's, three w's, four x's, four y's,
and one z.
• This pangram has five a's, one b, one c, two d's, twenty-eight e's, five f's, three g's, seven
h's, ten i's, one j, one k, one l, two m's, twenty n's, thirteen o's, two p's, one q, five r's,
twenty-three s's, twenty t's, one u, six v's, nine w's, two x's, five y's, and one z.
• This pangram lists four a's, one b, one c, two d's, twenty-nine e's, eight f's, three g's, five
h's, eleven i's, one j, one k, three l's, two m's, twenty-two n's, fifteen o's, two p's, one q,
seven r's, twenty-six s's, nineteen t's, four u's, five v's, nine w's, two x's, four y's, and one
z.
• This pangram uses four a's, one b, one c, two d's, thirty e's, five f's, three g's, seven h's,
eleven i's, one j, one k, three l's, two m's, sixteen n's, twelve o's, two p's, one q, eight r's,
twenty-nine s's, sixteen t's, four u's, six v's, six w's, five x's, three y's, and one z.
• This pangram uses four a's, one b, one c, two d's, twenty-six e's, seven f's, three g's, six
h's, eleven i's, one j, one k, two l's, two m's, fifteen n's, fourteen o's, two p's, one q, eight
r's, thirty s's, sixteen t's, five u's, four v's, six w's, six x's, three y's, and one z.
• This computer-generated pangram contains six a's, one b, three c's, three d's, thirty-seven
e's, six f's, three g's, nine h's, twelve i's, one j, one k, two l's, three m's, twenty-two n's,
thirteen o's, three p's, one q, fourteen r's, twenty-nine s's, twenty-four t's, five u's, six v's,
seven w's, four x's, five y's, and one z.

Autograms That Document Total Letter Content (Which Are Also Pangrams)

• This pangram contains two hundred nineteen letters: five a's, one b, two c's, four d's,
thirty-one e's, eight f's, three g's, six h's, fourteen i's, one j, one k, two l's, two m's,
twenty-six n's, seventeen o's, two p's, one q, ten r's, twenty-nine s's, twenty-four t's, six
u's, five v's, nine w's, four x's, five y's, and one z.
• This computer-generated sentence contains two hundred forty-seven letters: four a's, one
b, four c's, five d's, forty-four e's, nine f's, three g's, seven h's, eleven i's, one j, one k,
three l's, two m's, twenty-nine n's, nineteen o's, two p's, one q, fourteen r's, thirty-one s's,
twenty-five t's, seven u's, eight v's, seven w's, two x's, six y's, and one z.

Enumerated Autograms (Which Are Also Pangrams)

• This first pangram has five a's, one b, one c, two d's, twenty-nine e's, six f's, four g's,
eight h's, twelve i's, one j, one k, three l's, two m's, nineteen n's, twelve o's, two p's, one q,
eight r's, twenty-six s's, twenty t's, three u's, five v's, nine w's, three x's, four y's, and one
z.
• This second pangram totals five a's, one b, two c's, three d's, twenty-nine e's, six f's, four
g's, seven h's, ten i's, one j, one k, two l's, two m's, twenty-one n's, sixteen o's, two p's,
one q, eight r's, twenty-eight s's, twenty-three t's, four u's, four v's, nine w's, three x's, five
y's, and one z.
• This third pangram contains five a's, one b, two c's, three d's, twenty-six e's, six f's, two
g's, four h's, ten i's, one j, one k, two l's, two m's, twenty-two n's, seventeen o's, two p's,
one q, seven r's, twenty-nine s's, twenty-one t's, four u's, six v's, eleven w's, four x's, five
y's, and one z.
• This fourth pangram numbers four a's, two b's, one c, two d's, twenty-nine e's, seven f's,
two g's, six h's, ten i's, one j, one k, one l, three m's, twenty-three n's, fourteen o's, two p's,
one q, nine r's, twenty-six s's, twenty t's, five u's, five v's, nine w's, three x's, five y's, and
one z.
• This fifth pangram embraces five a's, two b's, two c's, two d's, twenty-nine e's, seven f's,
three g's, eight h's, ten i's, one j, one k, one l, three m's, twenty n's, thirteen o's, two p's,
one q, nine r's, twenty-six s's, twenty-four t's, three u's, four v's, ten w's, two x's, five y's,
and one z.
• This sixth pangram harbours five a's, two b's, one c, two d's, twenty-eight e's, seven f's,
four g's, seven h's, ten i's, one j, one k, one l, two m's, twenty-one n's, fifteen o's, two p's,
one q, seven r's, twenty-eight s's, twenty t's, four u's, six v's, nine w's, three x's, five y's,
and one z.
• This seventh pangram counts four a's, one b, two c's, two d's, thirty e's, five f's, three g's,
seven h's, nine i's, one j, one k, one l, two m's, twenty-three n's, sixteen o's, two p's, one q,
seven r's, twenty-eight s's, twenty-one t's, four u's, seven v's, nine w's, two x's, five y's,
and one z.
• This eighth pangram tallies five a's, one b, one c, two d's, thirty e's, five f's, three g's,
seven h's, ten i's, one j, one k, three l's, two m's, twenty n's, fourteen o's, two p's, one q,
six r's, twenty-seven s's, twenty-one t's, two u's, seven v's, nine w's, two x's, five y's, and
one z.
• This ninth pangram exploits four a's, one b, one c, two d's, twenty-eight e's, seven f's, four
g's, eight h's, thirteen i's, one j, one k, two l's, two m's, twenty-two n's, sixteen o's, three
p's, one q, nine r's, twenty-six s's, twenty-three t's, five u's, four v's, nine w's, four x's, five
y's, and one z.
• This tenth pangram features five a's, one b, one c, two d's, twenty-eight e's, eight f's, five
g's, six h's, twelve i's, one j, one k, two l's, two m's, eighteen n's, fourteen o's, two p's, one
q, six r's, twenty-seven s's, twenty t's, five u's, six v's, nine w's, four x's, four y's, and one
z.
• This eleventh pangram utilizes four a's, one b, one c, two d's, thirty-one e's, seven f's, four
g's, seven h's, eleven i's, one j, one k, four l's, two m's, twenty n's, fifteen o's, two p's, one
q, eight r's, twenty-nine s's, eighteen t's, six u's, six v's, seven w's, three x's, four y's, and
two z's.
• This twelfth pangram tables five a's, two b's, one c, two d's, twenty-six e's, six f's, two g's,
six h's, eleven i's, one j, one k, four l's, two m's, seventeen n's, thirteen o's, two p's, one q,
seven r's, thirty s's, twenty t's, three u's, six v's, nine w's, five x's, four y's, and one z.
• This thirteenth pangram includes four a's, one b, two c's, three d's, twenty-nine e's, eight
f's, four g's, eight h's, twelve i's, one j, one k, three l's, two m's, twenty n's, fourteen o's,
two p's, one q, nine r's, twenty-five s's, twenty-four t's, six u's, five v's, ten w's, two x's,
five y's, and one z.
• This fourteenth pangram recruits four a's, one b, two c's, two d's, twenty-eight e's, eight
f's, four g's, seven h's, ten i's, one j, one k, one l, two m's, twenty n's, fifteen o's, two p's,
one q, ten r's, twenty-six s's, twenty-four t's, six u's, three v's, nine w's, three x's, five y's,
and one z.
• This fifteenth pangram uses four a's, one b, one c, two d's, thirty e's, seven f's, two g's,
five h's, nine i's, one j, one k, one l, two m's, twenty-two n's, sixteen o's, two p's, one q,
five r's, twenty-seven s's, twenty-one t's, three u's, seven v's, ten w's, two x's, five y's, and
one z.
• This sixteenth pangram subsumes four a's, two b's, one c, two d's, thirty e's, seven f's,
four g's, eight h's, ten i's, one j, one k, one l, three m's, twenty-one n's, fifteen o's, two p's,
one q, eight r's, twenty-nine s's, twenty-one t's, six u's, four v's, seven w's, three x's, five
y's, and one z.
 • This seventeenth pangram tabulates six a's, two b's, one c, two d's, twenty-eight e's, seven
f's, three g's, five h's, ten i's, one j, one k, two l's, two m's, twenty n's, fourteen o's, two
p's, one q, six r's, twenty-nine s's, twenty-four t's, five u's, six v's, ten w's, four x's, five
y's, and one z.
• This eighteenth pangram manifests five a's, one b, one c, two d's, thirty-five e's, eight f's,
five g's, ten h's, thirteen i's, one j, one k, one l, three m's, twenty-one n's, fourteen o's, two
p's, one q, eight r's, twenty-six s's, twenty-four t's, three u's, seven v's, seven w's, two x's,
five y's, and one z.
• This nineteenth pangram assembles five a's, two b's, one c, two d's, thirty-five e's, six f's,
five g's, ten h's, twelve i's, one j, one k, four l's, three m's, eighteen n's, twelve o's, two p's,
one q, eight r's, twenty-eight s's, twenty-three t's, three u's, seven v's, nine w's, two x's,
four y's, and one z.
• This twentieth pangram summons four a's, one b, one c, two d's, twenty-nine e's, seven
f's, three g's, five h's, eleven i's, one j, one k, two l's, four m's, twenty-two n's, sixteen o's,
two p's, one q, six r's, twenty-eight s's, twenty-one t's, five u's, six v's, ten w's, four x's,
five y's, and one z.
• This twenty-first pangram shows four a's, one b, one c, two d's, twenty-nine e's, six f's,
three g's, six h's, eleven i's, one j, one k, three l's, two m's, twenty-two n's, sixteen o's, two
p's, one q, eight r's, twenty-nine s's, twenty-one t's, four u's, four v's, eleven w's, five x's,
six y's, and one z.
• This twenty-second pangram displays five a's, one b, two c's, four d's, thirty-three e's, five
f's, three g's, nine h's, twelve i's, one j, one k, three l's, two m's, twenty-one n's, thirteen
o's, three p's, one q, nine r's, twenty-eight s's, twenty-five t's, two u's, six v's, ten w's, two
x's, seven y's, and one z.
• This twenty-third pangram produces four a's, one b, two c's, four d's, twenty-six e's, six
f's, two g's, four h's, ten i's, one j, one k, two l's, two m's, twenty-two n's, seventeen o's,
three p's, one q, nine r's, twenty-nine s's, twenty-one t's, six u's, four v's, eleven w's, five
x's, six y's, and one z.
• This twenty-fourth pangram evinces four a's, one b, two c's, two d's, twenty-six e's, six
f's, two g's, four h's, nine i's, one j, one k, two l's, two m's, twenty-one n's, seventeen o's,
two p's, one q, seven r's, thirty s's, twenty t's, five u's, seven v's, eleven w's, four x's, six
y's, and one z.
• This twenty-fifth pangram discloses four a's, one b, two c's, three d's, thirty-two e's, seven
f's, three g's, nine h's, eleven i's, one j, one k, three l's, two m's, twenty n's, fourteen o's,
two p's, one q, nine r's, twenty-eight s's, twenty-five t's, three u's, five v's, ten w's, two x's,
six y's, and one z.

Pairs of Autograms (Which Are Also Pangrams)

This pangram tables but five a's, three b's, But this pangram tables five a's, three b's,
one c, two d's, twenty-eight e's, six f's, four one c, two d's, twenty-nine e's, six f's, six g's,
g's, six h's, ten i's, one j, one k, three l's, two eight h's, eleven i's, one j, one k, three l's,
m's, seventeen n's, twelve o's, two p's, one q, two m's, seventeen n's, fourteen o's, two p's,
seven r's, twenty-nine s's, twenty t's, five u's, one q, eight r's, twenty-eight s's, twenty-two
six v's, eight w's, four x's, four y's, and one z. t's, six u's, four v's, eight w's, four x's, four
y's, and one z.

The sentence on the reverse side contains The sentence on the reverse side contains
three a's, one b, three c's, three d's, forty-three three a's, one b, three c's, three d's, forty-six
e's, seven f's, two g's, nine h's, eight i's, one j, e's, four f's, two g's, ten h's, eight i's, one j,
one k, two l's, one m, twenty-four n's, sixteen one k, two l's, one m, twenty-four n's, fifteen
o's, one p, one q, eleven r's, twenty-seven s's, o's, one p, one q, eleven r's, twenty-nine s's,
twenty-three t's, three u's, six v's, seven w's, twenty-three t's, two u's, seven v's, seven w's,
two x's, five y's, and one z. three x's, five y's, and one z.

The adjacent text utilizes four a's, one b, two The adjacent text utilizes four a's, one b, two
c's, three d's, thirty-six e's, five f's, three g's, c's, three d's, thirty-two e's, nine f's, three g's,
nine h's, eleven i's, two j's, one k, four l's, one eight h's, eleven i's, two j's, one k, three l's,
m, eighteen n's, thirteen o's, one p, one q, one m, seventeen n's, fifteen o's, one p, one
eight r's, twenty-seven s's, twenty-four t's, q, eleven r's, twenty-six s's, twenty-one t's,
four u's, four v's, seven w's, five x's, four y's, eight u's, six v's, six w's, three x's, four y's,
and two z's. and two z's.

The righthand sentence contains four a's, one The lefthand sentence contains four a's, one
b, three c's, three d's, thirty-nine e's, ten f's, b, three c's, three d's, thirty-five e's, seven f's,
one g, eight h's, eight i's, one j, one k, four l's, four g's, eleven h's, eleven i's, one j, one k,
one m, twenty-three n's, fifteen o's, one p, one one l, one m, twenty-six n's, fifteen o's, one
q, nine r's, twenty-three s's, twenty-one t's, p, one q, ten r's, twenty-three s's, twenty-two
four u's, seven v's, six w's, two x's, five y's, t's, four u's, three v's, five w's, two x's, five
and one z. y's, and one z.