supercalifragilistichespiralidoso
/ˌsu.perˌka.li.fra.d͡ʒiˌlis.ti.kes.pi.ra.liˈdo.zo/
The English word 'supercalifragilisticexpialidocious' is translated into Italian as supercalifragilistichespiralidoso.
This is a nonsense word used as an adjective to describe something as fantastic, marvellous or wonderful. It is the Italian cognate of the famous English nonsense term.
Meaning: fantastic, marvellous, wonderful ''(cognates)'' (adj)
How do you pronounce it?
/ˌsu.perˌka.li.fra.dʒiˌlis.ti.kes.pi.ra.liˈdo.zo/. The word has 14 syllables and the stress is on the 13th syllable.
Did you know?
- Because the word ends in 'o', it functions as a masculine adjective, so if you were describing a feminine noun, you would have to change the ending to supercalifragilistichespiralidosa.
- The extra 'r' in the Italian version is a stylistic adaptation to make the word flow more naturally with the Italian word spirale, meaning 'spiral'.
- In Italy, this word is almost exclusively associated with the Disney film 'Mary Poppins' and is rarely used in natural conversation outside of referencing the movie.
Examples in context
- Supercalifragilistichespiralidoso.Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.This example shows how to use the word supercalifragilistichespiralidoso.Tatoeba #13972365 by Adelpa, translation #13971776 by jan_OkulaJu
Example conversation
Francesco and Sofia are talking about a magic show.
- FrancescoHai visto quello spettacolo, Sofia?Did you see that show, Sofia?
- SofiaSì, era davvero supercalifragilistichespiralidoso!Yes, it was truly supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!
- FrancescoSono d'accordo, era fantastico.I agree, it was fantastic.
- SofiaNon lo dimenticherò mai.I will never forget it.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” translations and entries supercalifragilistichespiralidoso, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries supercalifragilistichespiralidoso, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
