Taxonomy of Wordplay

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Contents | previous: Spelling: Relations to Other Words | next: Pronunciation: Rhyme

1. Pronunciation
1. Syllables
1. Entire Word
1. longest
2. shortest, for each number of syllables
3. add one letter to add two syllables, shortest
4. no known pronunciation, shortest
5. change one letter to radically change pronunciation
6. add letters to reduce syllables, shortest
7. rhopalism
8. letters-to-syllables ratio (hypersyllabic and oligosyllabic words), highest and lowest
9. possible English monosyllables (all permissible syllables, incl. rare initial and final clusters)
10. isosyllabic text (words of one syllable count)
2. stress pattern (rhythm patterns of English words and their frequencies)

Pronunciation

Syllables

Entire Word

longest

        a.  for each number of syllables [3-77,78,109,148,173,5-27,6-213,7-22,10-178,12-91,151,153,215,15-164,211,23-214,47-293]
                i. one syllable, for each letter [15-164]
                        see list Longest One-Syllable Word Beginning with Each Letter
                ii. two syllables, for each letter [15-164]
                        see list Longest Two-Syllable Word Beginning with Each Letter

shortest, for each number of syllables [2-180,3-45,46,77,148,5-27,14-113,150,151,216,15-18,84,19-158,29-83,36-318,37-21,22]

        see list Shortest Word for Each Number of Syllables

add one letter to add two syllables, shortest [B35,3-49,31-64]

        common word: are => area, ide => idea (3-t)

no known pronunciation, shortest [4-8]

        uncommon word: balge  (5)

change one letter to radically change pronunciation

        a. longest [3-49]
                common word: encourages => entourages (10)
        b. longest, for each letter
                see list Longest Word That, When a Letter is Changed, Radically Changes Pronunciation Beginning with Each Letter
        c.  pronunciation-change beheadment, longest successive [34-56]
                e.g. changer > hanger > anger
                e.g. theater > heater

add letters to reduce syllables, shortest [3-49,21-87,31-62]

rhopalism [14-244]

letters-to-syllables ratio (hypersyllabic and oligosyllabic words), highest and lowest [2-179,3-41,77,34-292,36-233,318,43-169,44-76]

        common word: strengths (9)
        common word: squirrelled (11)
        e.g. oligosyllabic: Iowa (4 letters, 3 syllables)

possible English monosyllables (all permissible syllables, incl. rare initial and final clusters) [15-67,15-156,15-199,15-210]

        e.g. spliff; texts (final cluster -ksts); Whorf's formula for English monosyllables corrected

isosyllabic text (words of one syllable count) [31-302]

        e.g. Mary purchased tiny lambkin, / Snowlike fleeces covered (every word two syllables)

stress pattern (rhythm patterns of English words and their frequencies) [10-252,11-20]

        e.g. DA boy; DA-da mantle; DA-DA aardvark; da-DA taboo (Brooke, 989 dictionary words)

Contents | previous: Spelling: Relations to Other Words | next: Pronunciation: Rhyme