Writers love language and words—especially amusing, witty, or unusual expressions. I can remember being in elementary school and learning new words. It was an aural and intellectual feast—which became a delightful, seductive pleasure. Put simply, word-lovers delight in words! There is even a name for a person who loves words—logophile, lexiphile, or lexophile. One who is obsessed with words is a logomaniac.

The Second Edition of the twenty-volume Oxford English Dictionary contains full entries for 171,476 words in current use and 47,156 obsolete words. It is believed that most adults know about 20,000-30,000 words. One source said the average person knows approximately 42,000 words. Regardless of the number of words we use each day, it is fair to say that many words are delightful, amusing, and wonderful to incorporate in our speaking and writing.

I have put together a list of fun or interesting words. Some have funky spellings, a satisfying rhyme, or a tongue-twist. Just for fun read them aloud and relish the sound and feel of the syllables!

Peg’s List of Delightful Words

State of Mind

• Bamboozled
• Befuddled
• Bumfuzzled 
• Discombobulated
• Flummoxed
• Gobsmacked

Places

• Bailiwick
• Catty corner (Kitty corner) 
• cul-de-sac

Insults

• Fiddle-footed
• Highfalutin
• Muckety-muck
• Namby-pamby
• Persnickety
• Pussyfoot
• Scalawag (Scallywag)

What’s the Word?

• Doodad
• Doohickey
• Thingamabob
• Thingamajig
• Whatchamacallit

Amount

• Plethora
• Tidbit
• Umpteen

Things

• Ampersand
• Anthropomorphic
• Apogee
• Dodecahedron
• Fricassee
• Froufrou
• Hootenanny 
• Knickknack
• Parabola
• Parallelogram
• Pea-knuckle
• Pumpernickel
• Sesquipedalian
• Slumgullion
• Smorgasbord
• Squeegee
• Stalactite
• Stalagmite
• Swizzle stick
• Trapezoid
• Umlaut
• Whirligig
• Whirlybird
• Widget
• Wigwam

Emotions 

• Doldrums
• Dumbfounded
• Flabbergasted
• Jocularity
• Lackadaisical
• Livid

Disorder

• Catawampus 
• Cattywampus (Kittywampus)
• Flotsam
• Helter-skelter
• Higgledy piggledy
• Hodgepodge
• Jetsam
• Kaput
• Mishmash
• Ramshackle 
• Slapdash
• Slipshod
• Smithereens
• Topsy-turvy
• Willy-nilly
• Wonky

Magic

• Abracadabra
• Harum-scarum 
• Hocus-pocus

Nonsense

• Balderdash 
• Cockamamie
• Gobbledygook (Goggledygook)
• Jibber-jabber
• Mumbo-jumbo
• Poppycock
• Slapstick
• Wackadoodle

Personal Descriptions

• Bumpkin
• Chatterbox
• Doppelganger
• Fuddy-duddy
• Mojo 
• Rabble-rouser
• Ragamuffin
• Ragtag
• Squooshy
• Tip-top
• Unctuous
• Whippersnapper
• Wishy-washy
• Woebegone
• Woozy
• Zonked

Much Ado

• Ballyhoo
• Hijinks
• Tomfoolery

Snafus

• Boondoggle
• Fiasco

Conflict

• Brouhaha
• Ruckus

State of Being

• Heebie-jeebie
• Hunky-dory

The Senses (Sounds or Hearing)

• Cacophony
• Caterwaul
• Kerplunk
• Tintinnabulation
• Titter

Actions

• Dillydally
• Hobnob
• Hurly-burly
• Kerfuffle
• Kvetch 
• Lickety-split
• Lollygag
• Skedaddle
• Switcheroo
• Zigzag

Wow!

• Doozy
• Hoopla
• Hubbub
• Hullaballoo 
• Humdinger
• Lollapalooza
• Pizzazz
• Razzle-dazzle
• Razzmatazz
• Shebang
• Whizbang

Wudda-ya-know

• Diddly-squat

Dang

• Fiddlesticks

Work On

• Futz
• Piddle-Paddling (Piddle)

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To me, the greatest pleasure of writing is not what it’s about, but the music the words make.
— Truman Capote (1924-1984) American novelist, screenwriter, playwright, and actor

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Words help us express exactly what we mean. The more words we know, the better we are able to communicate. What fun it is to razzle-dazzle readers or listeners with humdinger expressions that aren’t gobbledygook or wishy-washy. Clarity in word choice won’t leave one bamboozled and discombobulated.

If you know other words that should be included on the list, let me know in the comments!