# What is the longest English word?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-longest-english-word/150373>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [January 23, 2003, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-longest-english-word/150373 "2003-01-23T04:04:19Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Jinx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Jinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jinx)\
**Post date:** [January 23, 2003, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-longest-english-word/150373/1 "2003-01-23T04:04:19Z")

</div>

Just wondering, what is the longest word in the English language? Is antidisestablishmentarianism (sp?) the undisputed winner? (Outside of supercalafragilisticexpialadocious? sp?)

- Jinx

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![sleeping](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/839c29/32.png) [@sleeping](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sleeping)\
**Post date:** [January 23, 2003, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-longest-english-word/150373/2 "2003-01-23T04:08:27Z")

</div>

[http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mantidis.html](http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mantidis.html)

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\
**Post date:** [January 23, 2003, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-longest-english-word/150373/3 "2003-01-23T04:09:55Z")

</div>

I still say it’s “smiles”. There’s a mile between the first and last letters.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**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:** [January 23, 2003, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-longest-english-word/150373/4 "2003-01-23T04:44:24Z")

</div>

An recent thread with a link to a much earlier thread:  
[http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=152825](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=152825)

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\
**Post date:** [January 23, 2003, 7:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-longest-english-word/150373/5 "2003-01-23T07:33:43Z")

</div>

> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by pravnik \*  
> I still say it’s “smiles”. There’s a mile between the first and last letters.

But then there’s taut, which has an AU between the Ts.