Wordbay · Talking & language
Words about talking and language
How people speak and write, well and badly: words for styles of talk, figures of speech and the habits that annoy listeners.
Everyday (28)
- acronym noun. A word formed from the first letters of other words and said as a word, like NASA.
- articulate adjective. Able to express ideas clearly and fluently.
- banter noun. Playful, friendly teasing remarks traded back and forth.
- cadence noun. The rise and fall of a voice, or the rhythm of a piece of speech or music.
- candid adjective. Truthful and direct, even when the truth is uncomfortable.
- colloquial adjective. Used in ordinary, informal conversation rather than formal speech or writing.
- digress verb. To wander away from the main subject while speaking or writing.
- eloquent adjective. Fluent and persuasive in speaking or writing.
- enunciate verb. To pronounce words clearly and distinctly.
- euphemism noun. A mild or vague word used instead of one that sounds harsh, blunt or embarrassing.
- garble verb. To mix up or distort a message so that it becomes confusing or wrong.
- idiom noun. A phrase whose meaning can't be worked out from its individual words.
- imply verb. To suggest something without saying it outright.
- inflection noun. A rise or fall in the pitch of the voice when speaking.
- insinuate verb. To suggest something unpleasant indirectly, without saying it outright.
- interject verb. To say something abruptly, cutting into what someone else is saying.
- irregardless adverb. A non-standard form of regardless, meaning without paying attention to something.
- jargon noun. Special words used by a profession or group that outsiders find hard to understand.
- literally adverb. In a real, exact sense, without exaggeration or metaphor.
- mondegreen noun. A misheard phrase, especially a song lyric, that takes on a new and often funny meaning.
- pun noun. A joke that plays on a word with two meanings or on words that sound alike.
- quip noun. A quick, witty remark.
- rhetoric noun. The art of speaking or writing persuasively.
- sarcasm noun. Saying the opposite of what you mean in order to mock or show irritation.
- spoonerism noun. A slip in which the first sounds of two words swap, like 'a blushing crow' for 'a crushing blow'.
- tirade noun. A long, angry speech of criticism or accusation.
- verbose adjective. Using more words than are needed.
- vernacular noun. The everyday language spoken by ordinary people in a particular place.
Well-read (22)
- allude verb. To mention something indirectly, without naming it outright.
- argot noun. The private slang of a particular group, often one that keeps outsiders out.
- bombast noun. Inflated, pompous language with little real meaning.
- circumlocution noun. Using many words, or roundabout phrasing, where a few direct ones would do.
- equivocate verb. To speak vaguely or ambiguously to avoid committing yourself or telling the truth.
- flapdoodle noun. Foolish talk; nonsense.
- harangue noun. A long, loud, aggressive speech that lectures or scolds.
- laconic adjective. Using very few words, often in a dry or understated way.
- lethologica noun. The maddening inability to recall a word you know perfectly well.
- loquacious adjective. Talking a great deal, easily and often.
- malapropism noun. The mistaken use of a word that sounds like the right one, with a comic result.
- mellifluous adjective. Sweet, smooth and pleasant to hear.
- neologism noun. A newly coined word or expression, or a new meaning for an old one.
- obfuscate verb. To make something deliberately unclear or confusing.
- patois noun. A regional dialect spoken by ordinary people, distinct from the standard language.
- pithy adjective. Short, clever and full of meaning.
- platitude noun. A remark that has been made so often it sounds empty, however true.
- prevaricate verb. To avoid giving a direct answer, or to dodge the truth.
- rejoinder noun. A quick, sharp reply, especially to a criticism.
- solecism noun. A grammatical mistake, or a breach of good manners.
- vociferous adjective. Expressing opinions loudly and forcefully.
- voluble adjective. Talking fluently, readily and at length.
Advanced (20)
- anacoluthon noun. A sentence that sets off in one grammatical direction and finishes in another.
- apophasis noun. Raising a subject by saying that you won't mention it.
- aposiopesis noun. Breaking off a sentence before the end, as if unable or unwilling to go on.
- deipnosophist noun. Someone who is good at clever conversation over dinner.
- demonym noun. A word for the people of a place, such as Mancunian or Glaswegian.
- esprit de l'escalier noun. Thinking of the perfect reply only after the chance to say it has passed.
- exonym noun. A name for a place used by outsiders rather than by the people who live there.
- glossolalia noun. Speech that sounds like a language but isn't one, especially in religious worship.
- grandiloquent adjective. Using lofty, pompous language to impress.
- lexiphanic adjective. Using showy, pretentious words to impress.
- lipogram noun. A piece of writing that deliberately leaves out a particular letter of the alphabet throughout.
- logomachy noun. An argument about words, or one where the only real disagreement is over what words mean.
- logorrhoea noun. An uncontrollable flow of talk, often wordy and rambling.
- persiflage noun. Light, teasing, frivolous banter.
- philippic noun. A fierce, bitter speech attacking someone.
- psittacism noun. Repeating words or ideas mechanically, like a parrot, without thinking about what they mean.
- sesquipedalian adjective. Given to using long words, or itself long and many-syllabled.
- shibboleth noun. A word, custom or belief that marks someone as an insider, or an old principle no longer questioned.
- tmesis noun. Splitting a word or phrase by putting another word in the middle, as in 'abso-blooming-lutely'.
- toponym noun. A place name, especially one that comes from a feature of the landscape.