# Longest word in English (or Welsh for that matter :-) )
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-word-in-english-or-welsh-for-that-matter/718675
**Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports
**Created:** [April 27, 2015, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-word-in-english-or-welsh-for-that-matter/718675 "2015-04-27T21:43:00Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)
#### Post date: [April 27, 2015, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-word-in-english-or-welsh-for-that-matter/718675/1 "2015-04-27T21:43:00Z")
Re: [What does antidisestablishmentarianism mean?](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/1400/what-does-antidisestablishmentarianism-mean)
I thought every grade-school kiddie knew what it meant :dubious: in addition to how to spell it. I did.
Would this word be more common knowledge in England?
How about Wales?
> [@SDStaff Dogster and SDStaff Ian](#):
>
> The full name of the tryptophan synthetase A protein, an enzyme with 267 amino acids, extends to 1,913 letters:
>
> methionylglutaminylarginyltyrosylglutamylserylleucylphenylalanyla lanylglutaminylleucyllysylglutamylarginyllysylglutamylglycylalany lphenylalanylvalylprolylphenylalanylvalylthreonylleucylglycylaspa rtylprolylglycylisoleucylglutamylglutaminylserylleucyllysylisoleu cylaspartylthreonylleucylisoleucylglutamylalanylglycylalanylaspar tylalanylleucylglutamylleucylglycylisoleucylprolylphenylalanylser ylaspartylprolylleucylalanylaspartylglycylprolylthreonyliso leucylglutaminylaspfraginylalanylthreonylleucylarginylalanylpheny lalanylalanylalanylglycylvalylthreonylprolylalanylglutaminylcyste inylphenylalanylglutamylmethionylleucylalanylleucylisoleucylargin ylglutaminyllysylhistidylprolylthreonylisoleucylprolylisoleucylgl ycylleucylleucylmethionyltyrosylalanylasparaginylleucylvalylpheny lalanylasparaginyllysylglycylisoleucylaspartylglutamylphenylalany ltyrosylalanylglutaminylcysteinylglutamyllysylvalylglycylva lylaspartylserylvalylleucylvalylalanylaspartylvalylprolylvalylglu taminylglutamylserylalanylprolylphenylalanylarginylglutaminylalan ylalanylleucylarginylhistidylasparaginylvalylalanylprolylisoleucy lphenylalanylisoleucylcysteinylprolylprolylaspartylalanylaspartyl aspartylaspartylleucylleucylarginylglutaminylisoleucylalanylseryl tyrosylglycylarginylglycyltyrosylthreonyltyrosylleucylleucylseryl arginylalanylglycylvalylthreonylglycylalanylglutamylasparag inylarginylalanylalanylleucylprolylleucylasparaginylhistidylleucy lvalylalanyllysylleucyllysylglutamyltyrosylasparaginylalanylalany lprolylprolylleucylglutaminylglycylphenylalanylglycylisoleucylser ylalanylprolylaspartylglutaminylvalyllysylalanylalanylisoleucylas partylalanylglycylalanylalanylglycylalanylisoleucylserylglycylser ylalanylisoleucylvalyllysylisoleucylisoleucylglutamylglutaminylhi stidylasparaginylisoleucylglutamylprolylglutamyllysylmethio nylleucylalanylalanylleucyllysylvalylphenylalanylvalylglutaminylp rolylmethionyllysylalanylalanylthreonylarginylserine.
>
> There’s one you probably won’t see on Wheel of Fortune.
Perhaps not, but you’ll certainly find many Welsh towns with names like that.
---
### Author:  [@jezzaOZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jezzaOZ)
#### Post date: [April 27, 2015, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-word-in-english-or-welsh-for-that-matter/718675/2 "2015-04-27T22:05:18Z")
> [@Senegoid](#):
>
> Re: [What does antidisestablishmentarianism mean?](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/1400/what-does-antidisestablishmentarianism-mean)
>
> I thought every grade-school kiddie knew what it meant :dubious: in addition to how to spell it. I did.
>
> Would this word be more common knowledge in England?
>
> How about Wales?
>
> Perhaps not, but you’ll certainly find many Welsh towns with names like that.
Such as the idylic Welsh hill Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateahaumaitawhitiurehaea-
turipukakapikimaungahoronukupokaiwhenuakitanatahu.
---
### Author:  [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)
#### Post date: [April 27, 2015, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-word-in-english-or-welsh-for-that-matter/718675/3 "2015-04-27T22:30:51Z")
> [@jezzaOZ](#):
>
> Such as the idylic Welsh hill Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateahaumaitawhitiurehaea-
> turipukakapikimaungahoronukupokaiwhenuakitanatahu.
That doesn’t have one single “l” in it (let alone a double-“ll”)! What kind of Welsh is that? Chemical names of amino acid chains are more Welsh than that! 😃
---
### Author:  [@John\_W.Kennedy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_W.Kennedy)
#### Post date: [April 29, 2015, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-word-in-english-or-welsh-for-that-matter/718675/4 "2015-04-29T02:35:23Z")
“Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateahaumaitawhitiurehaeaturipukakapikimaungahoronukupokaiwhenuakitanatahu” is Maori, not Welsh.
---
### Author:  [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)
#### Post date: [April 29, 2015, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-word-in-english-or-welsh-for-that-matter/718675/5 "2015-04-29T15:19:57Z")
> [@John\_W.Kennedy](#):
>
> “Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateahaumaitawhitiurehaeaturipukakapikimaungahoronukupokaiwhenuakitanatahu” is Maori, not Welsh.
But [Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Llanfairpwllgwyngyll) is most certainly Welsh. Lllook at allll those "Llll"s!
According to our friend [Wiki](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_long_place_names), the Welsh entrant is 2nd place behind the New Zealand (Maori) one, in terms of place name length.
---
### Author:  [@gazpacho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gazpacho)
#### Post date: [April 29, 2015, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-word-in-english-or-welsh-for-that-matter/718675/6 "2015-04-29T23:14:50Z")
> [@gnoitall](#):
>
> But [Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Llanfairpwllgwyngyll) is most certainly Welsh. Lllook at allll those "Llll"s!
Names deliberately made up to be long names seem to me to not be very interesting.
---
### Author:  [@jezzaOZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jezzaOZ)
#### Post date: [April 30, 2015, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-word-in-english-or-welsh-for-that-matter/718675/7 "2015-04-30T05:06:23Z")
> [@John\_W.Kennedy](#):
>
> “Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateahaumaitawhitiurehaeaturipukakapikimaungahoronukupokaiwhenuakitanatahu” is Maori, not Welsh.
How about this Welsh place-name then?
Teekalesiasaintaseriorotoiteateatengaotearamonamaetataanaiteripotauiuiotehahiosainttysiliokiteanawhero
---
### Author:  [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)
#### Post date: [April 30, 2015, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-word-in-english-or-welsh-for-that-matter/718675/8 "2015-04-30T13:13:10Z")
> [@gazpacho](#):
>
> Names deliberately made up to be long names seem to me to not be very interesting.
Speak for yourself. What it lacks in organic accidentialty (I just made that up too), it makes up for in… Welshness? Walesity? I can’t make up a word that works here. 😃
---
### Author:  [@John\_W.Kennedy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_W.Kennedy)
#### Post date: [May 1, 2015, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-word-in-english-or-welsh-for-that-matter/718675/9 "2015-05-01T00:50:03Z")
“Llanfairpwllgwyngyll” is legitimate. The rest was a publicity stunt.
---
### Author:  [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)
#### Post date: [May 1, 2015, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-word-in-english-or-welsh-for-that-matter/718675/10 "2015-05-01T01:29:58Z")
> [@jezzaOZ](#):
>
> How about this Welsh place-name then?
>
> Teekalesiasaintaseriorotoiteateatengaotearamonamaetataanaiteripotauiuiotehahiosainttysiliokiteanawhero
Sllllyght ymprovement, dyspllllllllllayyng two ynstances of the lllllletter “l”,
and not consecutyve eyther. Stylllll not very Wellllllsh llllllookyng.
Are you sure thys ysn’t Maori alllllllllso?
---
### Author:  [@jezzaOZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jezzaOZ)
#### Post date: [May 1, 2015, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-word-in-english-or-welsh-for-that-matter/718675/11 "2015-05-01T02:37:48Z")
> [@Senegoid](#):
>
> Sllllyght ymprovement, dyspllllllllllayyng two ynstances of the lllllletter “l”,
> and not consecutyve eyther. Stylllll not very Wellllllsh llllllookyng.
> Are you sure thys ysn’t Maori alllllllllso?
It says quite clearly the Welsh name
_St Mary’s church in the hollow of the white hazel near to the rapid whirlpool and the church of St Tysilio of the red cave_
_Hahi St Mary o roto i te ateatenga o te aramona ma e tata ana ki te ripo tere, me te hahi o St Tysilio o te ana whero_
aka
_Eglwys y Santes Fair yn y pant y cyll gwyn ger y trobwll cyflym ac eglwys Sant Tysilio yr ogof goch_
Neither of which seem to have much to do with
_Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch_
---
### Author:  [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)
#### Post date: [May 1, 2015, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-word-in-english-or-welsh-for-that-matter/718675/12 "2015-05-01T15:16:19Z")
> [@John\_W.Kennedy](#):
>
> “Llanfairpwllgwyngyll” is legitimate. The rest was a publicity stunt.
The problem of “publicity stunt” synthesized long words isn’t restricted to placenames.
The long-running (arguably, now superseded) “canonical” long word, pneumonomicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis, appears also to have been created for that purpose. Some parts are redundant and apparently spliced on to make the word longer. I believe there aren’t any meaningful characteristics of that illness to distinguish it from the more common name “[silicosis](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silicosis)”.
Apparently, the word was [synthesized specifically to be a “longest word in the dictionary” in 1935.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis#Etymology)
---
### Author:  [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)
#### Post date: [May 1, 2015, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-word-in-english-or-welsh-for-that-matter/718675/13 "2015-05-01T15:37:42Z")
There’s always
floccinaucinihilipilification
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### Author:  [@John\_W.Kennedy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_W.Kennedy)
#### Post date: [May 1, 2015, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-word-in-english-or-welsh-for-that-matter/718675/14 "2015-05-01T19:11:49Z")
Oh, yeah, “pneumo…” is entirely bogus. Even as a high-school student, I could see that.
---
### Author:  [@jezzaOZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jezzaOZ)
#### Post date: [May 1, 2015, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-word-in-english-or-welsh-for-that-matter/718675/15 "2015-05-01T23:00:29Z")
My final bid on a long placename in Welsh - with double ells.
_Yr uwchgynhadledd lle chwaraeodd Tamatea, dyn y gliniau mawr, y llithrydd, dringwr mynyddoedd, y tir-llyncwr a deithiodd am, ei ffliwt trwyn i ei hanwylyd_
---
### Author:  [@FahKinell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FahKinell)
#### Post date: [May 2, 2015, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-word-in-english-or-welsh-for-that-matter/718675/16 "2015-05-02T14:08:46Z")
… just a second !!! there were spaces in that - does that make it multiple words ??
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### Author:  [@jezzaOZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jezzaOZ)
#### Post date: [May 3, 2015, 8:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-word-in-english-or-welsh-for-that-matter/718675/17 "2015-05-03T08:43:15Z")
> [@FahKinell](#):
>
> … just a second !!! there were spaces in that - does that make it multiple words ??
Only when not when spoken by an excited Welshman.
---
### Author:  [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)
#### Post date: [May 3, 2015, 10:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-word-in-english-or-welsh-for-that-matter/718675/18 "2015-05-03T10:12:10Z")
> [@jezzaOZ](#):
>
> My final bid on a long placename in Welsh
Except that it doesn’t actually exist.
---
### Author:  [@jezzaOZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jezzaOZ)
#### Post date: [May 3, 2015, 11:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-word-in-english-or-welsh-for-that-matter/718675/19 "2015-05-03T11:54:40Z")
> [@PatrickLondon](#):
>
> Except that it doesn’t actually exist.
Yes it does. See 40°21’00.00" S 176°33’00.00" E
I gave the name of the place in Welsh.
---
### Author:  [@raventhief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/raventhief)
#### Post date: [May 3, 2015, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-word-in-english-or-welsh-for-that-matter/718675/20 "2015-05-03T23:06:20Z")
> [@jezzaOZ](#):
>
> Yes it does. See 40°21’00.00" S 176°33’00.00" E
>
> I gave the name of the place in Welsh.
Looking at those coordinates in Google Maps, it appears to be somewhere in New Zealand:
662 Wimbledon Rd
Porangahau 4292
New Zealand
If the name is as above, why would you give the name in Welsh? That’s not the actual place name, is it?
ETA: Translation of Welsh gives us this:
The summit where he played Tamatea , the man big knees , the slider , mountain climber , land - llyncwr traveled about , his nose flute to his loved one
> [@jezzaOZ](#):
>
> How about this Welsh place-name then?
>
> Teekalesiasaintaseriorotoiteateatengaotearamonamaetataanaiteripotauiuiotehahiosainttysiliokiteanawhero
And straight googling that place name, the only mention I could find was this thread. Now, it’s entirely possible that my Google-Fu has failed me. But it doesn’t even remotely look Welsh, either.
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