15-Syllable Words in English (US)

Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia is a 15-syllable humorous noun meaning 'fear of long words.' It combines Greek (hippo-, potamo-, -phobia) and Latin (monstro-, sesqui-, ped-, ali-) roots. Primary stress falls on 'pho' with secondary stresses on 'hip', 'pot', 'stros', 'squip', and 'da'. Syllabification follows standard English rules: double consonants split (hip-po, squip-pe), legal onset clusters stay together (str-, squ-), and single intervocalic consonants join the following syllable.

The word 'hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia' is a 15-syllable, humorously coined term for 'fear of long words.' Its syllable division, 'hip-po-po-to-mon-stro-ses-quip-ped-a-li-o-pho-bi-a,' follows standard English rules like the Maximal Onset Principle and splitting of double consonants. The word is a compound of Greek and Latin morphemes alluding to 'hippopotamus,' 'monster,' 'long words,' and 'fear.' Primary stress is on 'pho' (/ˈfoʊ/), with secondary stresses on the main syllables of the component parts. Phonetically, it is transcribed as /ˌhɪp.ə.ˌpɒ.tə.ˌmɒn.strə.ˌsɛs.kwɪp.ˌpɛd.ə.li.ə.ˈfoʊ.bi.ə/.