# 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:** 19\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 1999, 6:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-one-syllable-word-s-in-the-english-language/5280/21 "1999-12-09T06:50:00Z")
Thank you, I pronounce “smiles” like it has two syllables. I can’t say it like Ricardo Montalban in “Fantasy Island”. ---
**Author:** ![UncleBeer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/977dab/32.png) [@UncleBeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleBeer)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 1999, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-one-syllable-word-s-in-the-english-language/5280/22 "1999-12-08T19:00:00Z")
Isn’t it obvious? It’s {:-Df * * * “Some people are worried about the difference between right and wrong. I’m worried about the difference between wrong and fun.” ~P.J. O’Rourke~ ---
**Author:** ![JBENZ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b77776/32.png) [@JBENZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JBENZ)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 1999, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-one-syllable-word-s-in-the-english-language/5280/23 "1999-12-08T21:58:00Z")
Thbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbt!!! I love quoting the Classics. Bill D. Cat ---
**Author:** ![KeithB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/48db29/32.png) [@KeithB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KeithB)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 1999, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-one-syllable-word-s-in-the-english-language/5280/24 "1999-12-08T23:26:00Z")
The late, great Jack Smith of the Los Angeles Times had a column on this and came up with: broughamed A brougham is some type of carriage, so if you can turn it into a verb and past-tense it… ---
**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, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-one-syllable-word-s-in-the-english-language/5280/25 "1999-12-08T23:43:00Z")
Ah, Arnold all I did was input your question with the proper corrections to it into a search engine 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Surgoshan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e95f7d/32.png) [@Surgoshan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Surgoshan)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 1999, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-one-syllable-word-s-in-the-english-language/5280/26 "1999-12-09T05:46:00Z")
Actually, pneumonoultramicorscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis is in the OED, so there. That’s where I saw it, at least.’ ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 1999, 11:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-one-syllable-word-s-in-the-english-language/5280/27 "1999-12-09T11:12:00Z")
> [@](#): > > If you want to eat fish, fish fish, fish fish fish for the same reason. > [@](#): > > I didn’t get the 6 x fish sentence. To paraphrase: If you want to eat aquatic animals, (you must) catch aquatic animals, aquatic animals catch (other) aquatic animals for the same reason. ---
**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 9, 1999, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-one-syllable-word-s-in-the-english-language/5280/28 "1999-12-09T14:50:00Z")
Surgo– Of course it is. **Every** word that has ever appeared in the English language is on OED. ---
**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 9, 1999, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-one-syllable-word-s-in-the-english-language/5280/29 "1999-12-09T15:46:00Z")
\*\*Little Nemo[/b[: Aha, now I get it! [http://www.straightdope.com/ubb/on.gif](http://www.straightdope.com/ubb/on.gif) ---
**Author:** ![John\_W.Kennedy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_w.kennedy/32/1031_2.png) [@John\_W.Kennedy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_W.Kennedy)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 1999, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-one-syllable-word-s-in-the-english-language/5280/30 "1999-12-09T16:00:00Z")
> [@](#): > > Actually, pneumonoultramicorscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis is in the OED… Yeah, where it’s listed as a fake word. * * * John W. Kennedy “Compact is becoming contract; man only earns and pays.” – Charles Williams ---
**Author:** ![Greg\_Charles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/839c29/32.png) [@Greg\_Charles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Greg_Charles)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 1999, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-one-syllable-word-s-in-the-english-language/5280/31 "1999-12-11T02:17:00Z")
Jim where Bill had had, “had had”, had had “had”; “had had” was right. Nine repetitions. Beat that! ---
**Author:** ![G.B.H.Hornswoggler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c67d28/32.png) [@G.B.H.Hornswoggler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/G.B.H.Hornswoggler)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 1999, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-one-syllable-word-s-in-the-english-language/5280/32 "1999-12-11T04:03:00Z")
Now it’s my turn to look dopey; I can’t parse that one at all. ## I can’t even make it to the "Had had had"s; “Jim where Bill” loses me. Does it need a comma after “Jim?” That would just about make sense. …but when you get blue, and you’ve lost all your dreams, there’s nothing like a campfire and a can of beans! ---
**Author:** ![Shayna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shayna/32/17976_2.png) [@Shayna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shayna)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 1999, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-one-syllable-word-s-in-the-english-language/5280/33 "1999-12-11T04:34:00Z")
Don’t feel bad Da Ace, I don’t get that one either. And I had to read the explanation for the fish fish fish one to sink in, but I’m not sure I agree that it’s all one sentence. That one I think I’d write as, “If you want to eat fish, fish fish. Fish fish fish for the same reason.” Maybe I’m wrong though. Could be. It’s happened before 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![rjk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ed655f/32.png) [@rjk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjk)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 1999, 8:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-one-syllable-word-s-in-the-english-language/5280/34 "1999-12-11T08:19:00Z")
Quote: Jim where Bill had had, “had had”, had had “had”; “had had” was right. Sorry, Greg, but that _should_ be: Jim where Bill had had “had had”, had had “had”; “had had” had had the teacher’s approval. ## Eleven. Bob the Random Expert “If we don’t have the answer, we’ll make one up.” ---
**Author:** ![BigRoryG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f07891/32.png) [@BigRoryG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigRoryG)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 1999, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-one-syllable-word-s-in-the-english-language/5280/35 "1999-12-11T15:29:00Z")
I think perhaps an explanation of the Had’s isnecessary for some of our not lessintelligent but hperhaps less dilligent coposyters - TO paraphrase: Jim, where bill had written “had had” (jim) had written “had”; “had Had” had received the teacher’s approval. * * * “C’mon, it’s not even tomorrow yet…” - Rupert If you need a graphic solution, [http:\ alk.to\Piglet](http://talk.to%5CPiglet) ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 1999, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-one-syllable-word-s-in-the-english-language/5280/36 "1999-12-11T16:32:00Z")
Greg Charles, you can go much, much farther with the word ‘that.’ ---
**Author:** ![G.B.H.Hornswoggler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c67d28/32.png) [@G.B.H.Hornswoggler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/G.B.H.Hornswoggler)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 1999, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-one-syllable-word-s-in-the-english-language/5280/37 "1999-12-11T20:18:00Z")
Thanks, BigRoryG; as I’d suspected, a comma was missing. “Jim where Bill” does not mean the same thing as “Jim, where Bill.” The ‘had had “had had” and had had “had”’ wasn’t as tough to figure out. * * * …but when you get blue, and you’ve lost all your dreams, there’s nothing like a campfire and a can of beans! ---
**Author:** ![Salieri2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c67d28/32.png) [@Salieri2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Salieri2)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 1999, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-one-syllable-word-s-in-the-english-language/5280/38 "1999-12-12T03:27:00Z")
Shayna–all you need for the fish thing is a semi-colon, thusly: “If you want to eat fish, fish fish; fish fish fish for the same reason.” Still workin’ on the had had madness, though. ---
**Author:** ![Salieri2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c67d28/32.png) [@Salieri2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Salieri2)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 1999, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-one-syllable-word-s-in-the-english-language/5280/39 "1999-12-12T03:30:00Z")
Oh. Wasn’t paying attention. I get it now. …jeez. Put THAT one in your freshman English class and watch the brains seize up!! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-one-syllable-word-s-in-the-english-language/5280.md?page=1)