Silly-Sounding But Real English Words
English is full of surprises and not all of them are serious! Some words sound so funny, strange, or downright ridiculous that you might think they’re made up… but they’re 100% real!
List of Silly-Sounding But Real English Words
Bumbershoot – An umbrella.
Example: Don’t forget your bumbershoot; it’s raining!
Lollygag – To waste time or dawdle.
Example: Stop lollygagging and finish your homework!
Flibbertigibbet – A frivolous, flighty, or talkative person.
Example: She’s such a flibbertigibbet, always chattering about nonsense.
Kerfuffle – A noisy commotion or fuss.
Example: There was quite a kerfuffle over the missing cake.
Gobbledygook – Nonsense or overly technical language.
Example: The manual was full of gobbledygook I couldn’t understand.
Snollygoster – A clever but unprincipled person (especially a politician).
Example: That snollygoster would say anything to get votes.
Nincompoop – A foolish or silly person.
Example: Don’t be such a nincompoop, of course it’s not real!
Skedaddle – To run away quickly.
Example: The kids skedaddled when they saw the teacher coming.
Hobnob – To mix socially with people of higher status.
Example: He loves to hobnob with celebrities.
Brouhaha – A noisy and overexcited reaction to something.
Example: There was a brouhaha about the new policy.
Mollycoddle – To pamper or spoil someone too much.
Example: Stop mollycoddling him; he can do it himself.
Collywobbles – Stomach discomfort or nervous butterflies.
Example: I’ve got the collywobbles before my presentation!
Rigmarole – A long, complicated, and confusing process.
Example: What a rigmarole just to renew a license!
Flummox – To confuse or perplex someone.
Example: The question completely flummoxed me.
Hootenanny – An informal gathering with music and dancing.
Example: We had a hootenanny at the farm last night!
Dillydally – To waste time by being slow or indecisive.
Example: Quit dillydallying and get going!
Poppycock – Nonsense; silly talk.
Example: That’s absolute poppycock!
Hocus-pocus – Trickery or meaningless talk.
Example: Don’t believe his hocus-pocus sales pitch.
Thingamajig – A word used when you can’t remember the name of something.
Example: Pass me that thingamajig on the table.
Higgledy-piggledy – In confusion or disorder.
Example: The toys were all higgledy-piggledy on the floor.
Widdershins – Counterclockwise or in the wrong direction.
Example: The dancers accidentally spun widdershins.
Codswallop – Nonsense or rubbish.
Example: What a load of codswallop that story is!
Fuddy-duddy – A person who’s old-fashioned or stuffy.
Example: Don’t be such a fuddy-duddy, try something new!
Ragamuffin – A person, usually a child, in dirty or tattered clothes.
Example: The little ragamuffins played in the mud all day.
Blubber – To cry noisily.
Example: Stop blubbering; everything will be fine.
Doodlebug – A type of insect (or WWII flying bomb); also slang for someone who doodles a lot.
Example: My sister’s such a doodlebug; she’s always sketching!
Kerplunk – The sound of something falling or hitting water.
Example: The rock fell into the pond with a kerplunk.
Gadzooks – An old-fashioned exclamation of surprise.
Example: Gadzooks! What a marvelous invention!
Fiddle-faddle – Trivial nonsense or fussing about.
Example: Don’t waste time with fiddle-faddle.
Whippersnapper – A young, arrogant person with too much confidence.
Example: That whippersnapper thinks he knows everything!
The next time someone tells you that English is boring, drop a “higgledy-piggledy” or a “lollygag” into the conversation and watch their face light up.
