Now you might think antidesestablishmentarianism (or something like that) or supercalifragilistricexpialidocius (or rather from Disney’s Mary Poppins) is the longest word. WRONG! (o bongo)! If you mean the longest word in the (oxford) dictionary, it is pneumonoultramicroscopicsiliconvolcanoconiosis. It means very small silicon dust has caused inflammation of the lungs.

If you mean the longest (official) word in English is (drumroll):Methionylglutaminylarginyltyrosylglutamylserylleucylphenylalanylalanylglutaminylleucyllysylglutamylarginyllysyglutamylgycylalanylphenylalanylvalylprolylphenylalanylvalylthreonylleucylgycylaspartylprolylglycyllisoleucylglutamylglutaminylserylleucyllysylisoleucylaspartylthreonylleucylisoleucylglutamylalanylglycylalanylaspartylalanylleucylglutamylleucylglycylisoleucylprolylphenylalanylserylaspartylprolylleucylalanylaspartylglycylprolylthreonylisoleucylglutaminylasparaginylalanylthreonylleucylarginylalanylphenylalanylalanylalanylglycylvalylthreonylprolylalanylglutaminylcysteinylphenylalanylglutamylmethionylleucylalanylleucylisoleucylarginylglutaminyllysylhistidylprolylthreonylisoleucylprolylisoleucylglycylleucylleucylmethionyltyrosylalanlylasparaginylleucylvalylphenylalanylasparaginyllysylglycylisoleucylaspartylglutamylphenylalanyltyrosylalanylglutaminylcysteinylglutamyllysylvalylglycylvalylaspartylsrylvalylleucylvalylalanylaspartylvalylprolylvalylglutaminylglutamylserylalanylprolylphenylalanylarginylglutaminylalanylalanylleucylarginylhistidylasparaginylvalylalanylprolylisoleucylphenylalanylisoleucylcysteinylprolylprolylaspartylalanylaspartylaspartylaspartylleucylleucylarginylglutaminylisoleucylalanylseryltyrosylglycylarginylglycyltyrosylthreonyltyrosylleucylleucylserylarginylalanylglycylvalylthreonylglycylalanylglutamylasparaginylarginylalanylalanylleucylleucyllysylglutamyltyrosylasparaginylalanylalanylprolylprolylleucylglutaminylglycylphenylalanylglysylisoleucylserylalanylprolylaspartylglutaminylvalyllysylalanylalanylisoleucylaspartylalanylglycylalanylalanylglycylalanylisoleucylserylglycylserylalanylisoleucylvalyllysylisoleucylisoleucylglutamylglutaminylhistidylasparaginylisoleucylglutamylprolylglutamyllysylmethionylleucylalanylalanylleucyllysylvalylphenylalanylvalylglutaminylprolylmethionyllysylalanylalanylthreonylarginylserine. Mind you, that’s a very long word. It takes a few minutes to read at 1914 or so letters long. I’ve tried it a few times. If you can memorize that you’ve got an excellent memory (I’ve memorized all the words above except for the 1914 letter one). But what does it mean? Well, it doesn’t mean much. All it is is a name for a scientific formula.

Some people say the 1914 letter word isn’t a word. Some people even say that pneumonoultramicroscopicsiliconvolcanoconiosis isn’t even a word. Well, <F-word> them! It is a friggin’ word!

The longest place name still in use is taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateaturipukakapikimaungahoronukupokaiw en uaitnatahu, a new zealand hill.

Well, there is another one I found out recently, it is floccinoccifhilipilification. It means estimating that something is worthless. You pronounce it "flossinossi...", NOT "flokkynokky..."!

Ermm…that’s all for that mini-lecture for the moment…