# longest one-syllable word(s) in the English language? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 7, 1999, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-one-syllable-word-s-in-the-english-language/5280 "1999-12-07T19:29:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 1999, 6:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-one-syllable-word-s-in-the-english-language/5280/1 "1999-12-08T06:49:00Z")
According to a trivia column in today’s newspaper, the two longest one-syllable words in the English language are “straights” and “screeched”. Any other (serious) takers? * * * La franchise ne consiste pas à dire tout ce que l’on pense, mais à penser tout ce que l’on dit. H. de Livry ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 1999, 6:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-one-syllable-word-s-in-the-english-language/5280/2 "1999-12-08T06:54:00Z")
“Strengths,” and it has only _one_ vowel. ---
**Author:** ![AWB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bb73d2/32.png) [@AWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AWB)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 1999, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-one-syllable-word-s-in-the-english-language/5280/3 "1999-12-07T19:29:00Z")
When you taste something really good, you say: mmmmmmmmmmmm 12 letters, and _no_ vowels! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 1999, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-one-syllable-word-s-in-the-english-language/5280/4 "1999-12-07T19:34:00Z")
And how about “schrecked?” Based on the verb “to schreck,” which means to imitate German actor “Max Schreck.” ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 1999, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-one-syllable-word-s-in-the-english-language/5280/5 "1999-12-07T19:38:00Z")
“Smiles”, because there’s a mile between the first and last letters. ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 1999, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-one-syllable-word-s-in-the-english-language/5280/6 "1999-12-07T20:26:00Z")
Where I come from, “smiles” has two syllables. ---
**Author:** ![Andy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/aeb1de/32.png) [@Andy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 1999, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-one-syllable-word-s-in-the-english-language/5280/7 "1999-12-07T20:46:00Z")
Off the topic, but pub owner (the wagon and horses) asks signwriter ‘Could you repaint the sign so there are bigger gaps between wagon and and and and and horses please?’. How cool is that, surely can’t be bettered…? ---
**Author:** ![Andy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/aeb1de/32.png) [@Andy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 1999, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-one-syllable-word-s-in-the-english-language/5280/8 "1999-12-07T20:47:00Z")
Off the topic, but pub owner (the wagon and horses) asks signwriter ‘Could you repaint the sign so there are bigger gaps between wagon and and, and and and horses please?’. How cool is that, surely can’t be bettered…? ---
**Author:** ![cgrayce](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@cgrayce](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cgrayce)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 1999, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-one-syllable-word-s-in-the-english-language/5280/9 "1999-12-07T21:51:00Z")
If you want to eat fish, fish fish, fish fish fish for the same reason. 6 repeats. ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 1999, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-one-syllable-word-s-in-the-english-language/5280/10 "1999-12-08T01:21:00Z")
Geniuss [sp] Book of World Records should have this. ---
**Author:** ![Kat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b19c9b/32.png) [@Kat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kat)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 1999, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-one-syllable-word-s-in-the-english-language/5280/11 "1999-12-08T02:44:00Z")
Stretched has the same number of letters. ---
**Author:** ![Ringo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/779978/32.png) [@Ringo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ringo)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 1999, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-one-syllable-word-s-in-the-english-language/5280/12 "1999-12-08T02:56:00Z")
As does scratched. ---
**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 1999, 6:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-one-syllable-word-s-in-the-english-language/5280/13 "1999-12-08T06:13:00Z")
OK, fellow SMDBers, you’ve shown me that, once again, I shouldn’t listen to Lou Boyd (the guy that writes the trivia column mentioned in the OP). So far, we have: straights screeched strengths stretched scratched and there are probably others. ## I didn’t get the 6 x fish sentence. Quand les talons claquent, l’esprit se vide. Maréchal Lyautey ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 1999, 6:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-one-syllable-word-s-in-the-english-language/5280/14 "1999-12-08T06:21:00Z")
> [@](#): > > Where I come from, “smiles” has two syllables. Where do you come from? France? Smiles has one syllable. Look it up. ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 1999, 6:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-one-syllable-word-s-in-the-english-language/5280/15 "1999-12-08T06:49:00Z")
Not really a word if you want to get puritanical about it, but I vote for schmaltzed, 10 letters. “The play was rather dry, so the scriptwriter schmaltzed it up.” I’m sure you could come up with more creative entries with Yiddish etymologies. ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 1999, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-one-syllable-word-s-in-the-english-language/5280/16 "1999-12-08T16:01:00Z")
‘smiles’ is supposed to be the longest because ‘there is a mile between s’s…’ Longest word in the english language today is: PNEUMONOULTRAMICROSCOPICSILICOVOLCANOCONIOSIS LOngest french word is: ANTICONSTITUTIONNELLEMENT Longest spanish word is: SUPEREXTRAORDINARISIMO Longest word in math is: RHOMBICOSIDODECAHEDRON Ah, read this far? ALright, here is the answer: SCRAUNCHED may be the longest monosyllabic word in W3. Slightly shorter monosyllabic words are SCRATCHED, SCREECHED, SQUELCHED, STRAIGHTS, and STRENGTHS. Craig Rowland suggests SQUIRRELLED. He writes, “All dictionaries designate this word to be of two syllables, but frankly I don’t know any Canadian who says it as any way but one.” ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 1999, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-one-syllable-word-s-in-the-english-language/5280/17 "1999-12-08T16:11:00Z")
Handy, IIRC, that lung disease was made up \*ex nihilo\ specifically for that dictionary, and does not actually appear anywhere in medical literature. I do agree with “squirrelled,” though. ---
**Author:** ![douglips](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@douglips](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/douglips)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 1999, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-one-syllable-word-s-in-the-english-language/5280/18 "1999-12-08T16:44:00Z")
Stretchedgry. The **gry** is silent. ---
**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 1999, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-one-syllable-word-s-in-the-english-language/5280/19 "1999-12-08T17:18:00Z")
**handy** , I’m guessing you’ve been to the [Collection of Word Oddities and Trivia](http://members.aol.com/gulfhigh2/words.html) site! I should have checked there first. By the way, my name is mentioned on one of the pages. (not that I like to brag or anything) * * * Quand les talons claquent, l’esprit se vide. Maréchal Lyautey ---
**Author:** ![SqrlCub](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea5d25/32.png) [@SqrlCub](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SqrlCub)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 1999, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-one-syllable-word-s-in-the-english-language/5280/20 "1999-12-08T17:35:00Z")
Most people pronounce smile with a dipthong. Approximate pronunctiation: smeye-ulls. HUGS! Sqrl * * * Gasoline: As an accompaniement to cereal it made a refreshing change. Glen Baxter [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-one-syllable-word-s-in-the-english-language/5280.md?page=2)