Hipopotomonstrosesquipedaliophobia
/ipopotomonstɾoseskipedaljopobja/from spelling rules
The English phrase hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia is translated into Spanish as Hipopotomonstrosesquipedaliophobia.
This term refers to the fear of long words.
How do you pronounce it?
/ipopotomonstɾoseskipedaljopobja/
Did you know?
- The Spanish term is a linguistic joke designed to be ironic, as the word itself is long enough to trigger the very phobia it describes.
- The word sesquipedalio in this phrase comes from a Latin term meaning 'a foot and a half', referring to the physical length of a long word on a page.
- Because of its length, this word is rarely found in standard Spanish dictionaries and is instead categorized as a 'neologism' or a humorous term.
Examples in context
- ¿Es la hipopotomonstrosesquipedaliophobia un trastorno común?Is hippopotomonstrosesquipedaliophobia a common disorder?
Example conversation
Elena and Daniel are talking about strange phobias.
- ElenaDaniel, ¿alguna vez has oído hablar de la hipopotomonstrosesquipedaliophobia?Daniel, have you ever heard of hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia?
- DanielNo, ¿qué significa esa palabra tan larga?No, what does that very long word mean?
- ElenaEs el miedo a las palabras largas.It is the fear of long words.
- Daniel¡Qué broma! El nombre ya asusta a quien la tiene.What a joke! The name already scares whoever has it.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
