The longest english words to ever appear in literature. Finding the longest word that describes something real can be a challenge. The guinness book of records bestowed the honor of longest english palindrome to detartrated, which is the preterit and past participle of detartrate, meaning to remove tartrates, or organic compounds. Aug 17, 2015 by the end of the 19th century, no book in english literary history had enjoyed more editions, spinoffs and translations. The longest sentence in english literature is contained in four volumes of nigel tomms novel the blah story volume 16, 17, 18 and 19. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading the book of word records. Best examples of palindromes in the english language. Top 10 longest books in the world 2018 update articles. Dec 11, 2008 posted in longest novel, the blah story, tagged longest book ever written, longest book ever written in english, longest book in history, longest book in the world, longest novel, longest novel in english language, longest novel series, longest novels ever written, longest published book, nigel tomm, the blah story on july 16, 2008 leave a. Finding the longest word that describes something real can be a challenge especially when you are competing with mary. I found myself laughing at something on every page. Mar 01, 2019 the above longest word has 1909 characters and is considered as the most difficult and longest in english language. It originated in england and is the dominant language of the u. Take a look at some of the longest novels, size really does matter.
I especially loved too how the book is framed in the. It has been published in 9 volumes over a period of 40 years. It is translated variously as remembrance of things past and the more literal in search of lost time and it has been available in english as long as it has been french both were first published between 1922 and 1930. Our top two novels are both french, starting with this 7volume epic by marcel proust. The internet has officially destroyed everyones attention span. The longest palindromic english word, according to the guinness book of world records.
Traditionally, the longest sentence in english literature has been found in james joces ulysses which contains 4,391 words. Dec 10, 2014 the longest word in the english language leaving literature to one side for a moment is a staggering 189,819 letters long. Its a technical word referring to the lung disease more commonly known as silicosis. Top 10 longest novels in the english language top 10 longest novels in the english language i love a long book that i can really get into, so i decided to compile a list of the longest novels ever written. Jan 21, 2011 whats the longest word in the english language. Ten of the craziest autoantonyms in the english language 204. May 16, 2008 it is supposedly the worlds longest published novel in english at 2. Here are the top 10 longest words in the english language. However, back in 1989 zorba, an english mastiff, tipped the scales at 343lbs and made it into the guinness book of. Its the longest english word composed exclusively of vowels, and it has the most consecutive vowels of any word. But savoring a book of, say, 800 pages or longer is a project. Seths suitable boy is the longest conventional novel in english since clarissa, and allegedly, according to a wikipedia participant, though source is not properly cited, the longest novel in the english language published in a single volume. List of longest novels wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Rated the longest novel ever by the guinness book of world records, theres.
It was published in two volumes to accommodate the 1,700 pages and told the story of a small town in texas called sironia at the turn of the century. By continuing to use this site, we assume you consent for cookies to be used. At 840,000 words, this novel was declared the longest novel by an american when it was released on new years day 1952. The guinness book of world records gives the honor to marcel prousts elephantine remembrance of things past, weighing in at 9,609,000 characters including spaces. And in his spare time, he writes the longest work of fan fiction ever composed.
Speaking the language was easier compared to writing, and after moving to the u. The longest novel in a single volume that i have ever read is a suitable boy by vikram seth. It is supposedly the worlds longest published novel in english at 2. The great english novelist, here at his most grownup, doesnt do lawyers any favors. Twenty of the longest words without a, e, i, o, or u 186. Meet the college junior behind the longest fan fiction ever. Also, do we consider books written only in one particular language or. The 7 longest books in american history america fun fact of. Over the years, there has been some controversy over what constitutes the worlds longest novel. It contains 3,958 pages in four volumes and took 10 years to complete. Rhythms is the longest english word without the normal vowels, a, e, i, o, or u.
The chemical formula for the protein otherwise known as titin runs to 189,819 letters, but whether this constitutes a word is a moot point. Richardson was an 18thcentury novelist who is often compared unfavorably for those who like a little humor with his contemporary henry fielding. A glorious mess in a career of glorious messes, pynchons longest. The longest novel in english that ive heard of is clarissa full title clarissa, or the history of a young lady by samuel richardson. Its theme of involuntary memory is repeated through the course of following the narrators life, from childhood. Past editions of the guinness book of world records have listed this record. The length of a book is usually at least among the readers considered to be the number of pages from cover to cover. Traditionally, the longest sentence in english literature has been said to be a sentence in ullyses by james joyce, which clocks in at 4,391 words. I would like to find a particular book written about the english language. Its the longest english word composed exclusively of vowels, and.
Seasons came and went while i plowed through that one. Rated the longest novel ever by the guinness book of world records, theres no doubt that prousts masterpiece could quite easily double up as a mightily effective doorstop, with volumes clocking up nearly 1. Did grossman set out to write the worlds longest book. A look at some of the strangest, shortest, longest. Words may be derived naturally from the language s roots or formed by coinage and construction. In print, the wheel of time, while technically a ser. The true number one answer is pretty clear, but lets go through some contenders first. Its hard to define exactly what constitutes a long novel, as some come in more than one volume, which is counted, but others are more of a series like the harry potter books, which arent allowed as the books were published separately and. However according to me, the longest word in the english language is. Feb 21, 2016 this is the top 5 longest novels in english language. We take a look at just ten of the longest words currently added to the english language. With that said, below is a list of some of the biggest words in the english language, which you can choose to ignore, or insert into your writing and vocabulary.
Meaning the state of being able to achieve honors, the word is the longest one in the english language with alternating consonants and. The book was writte in 1748 by author samuel richardson, a little known author who is only really famous for making the epistolary novel a popular 18th century literary genre. A satirical masterpiece thats never been out of print, jonathan swifts gullivers travels comes third in our list of the best novels written in english. This story only contains a single oc through the whole fic.
The five longest words in english that can be typed onehanded 177. No comprehensive study of zettels traum exists in english. This books is considered to be the longest published book in the english language with over 2. Thousands of pages of poetry are translated into other languages among them, hebrew, chinese, american. It is currently the longest novel published in modern chinese. Most english dictionaries accept this spelling usually one l in american english, which makes squirrelled having hidden something of value away in a safe place one of the longest words pronounced. Length of a book is typically associated with its sizespecifically page.
Both great books though, and they have something to say to those who will put in the effort. No, its not a recherche du temps perdu, the answer will take us to some dusty corners of the interwebs. A look at some of the strangest, shortest, longest, and overall most remarkable words in the english language kindle edition by cantrell, asher. What is the longest sentence in english literature. English language, a west germanic language of the indoeuropean language family that is closely related to frisian, german, and dutch languages. Jan 04, 20 english is a very rich and creative language and it is no wonder that there are words in the language that are certified tongue twisters, not only because they are long, but because the spelling and pronunciation require experience and expertise in the language. Top 10 longest novels in the english language listverse. Ten of the worlds longest books for reading addicts.
Proust is no match for these two fanfics leave it to teen titans and super smash bros. Im not sure about the longest book written in english, but as far as i. Yep, that is my summer reading, he replied, glancing down at the 1,088page behemoth of a novel. Jun 25, 2007 seths suitable boy is the longest conventional novel in english since clarissa, and allegedly, according to a wikipedia participant, though source is not properly cited, the longest novel in the english language published in a single volume.
I figured this because the book has 150 psalms, and the runnerup in chapter count would have been isaiah, with a meager 66 chaptersthats less than half of what psalms has. The longest words in the english language everything after. My french edition of harry potter and the order of the phoenix is the longest book i. Its hard to define exactly what constitutes a long novel, as some come in more than one volume, which is counted, but others are more of a series like the harry continue reading. This book in malayalam is known as the longest written in an indian language. Crusoes worldfamous novel is a complex literary confection, and it. Aug 29, 2018 the longest palindromic english word, according to the guinness book of world records. The above longest word has 1909 characters and is considered as the most difficult and longest in english language. The top 10 longest words in the english language and what they mean if you thought you knew what the longest word in the english language is you might want to check out this post. Youll never forget where you were when you learned that shakespearean language is actually modern english. So we dread to think how many people would be able to get through these monsters of prose.
The longest english words to ever appear in literature huffpost. Compiling a list of longest novels yields different results depending on whether pages, words or characters are counted. This is a list of the novels over 500,000 words published through a mainstream publisher. What is the hardest book to read in the english language. This 27letter word coined by shakespeare, in his comedy loves labours lost, is a testament to the bards own intralexiconic skills. Im not sure about the longest book written in english, but as far as i know, the longest book availablepublished in english is. Polgara the sorceress is the longest book i have read in english at 754 pages. We list below the ten longest, most epic novels ever created. A rough way to count words in an english language text is to assume that a. Weve taken a look at the shortest books in the bible, but what about the longest book in the bible if youd asked me about it in sunday school, my answer would have been a quick, confident psalms. As i did more research, i realized that there were many issues i had to take into consideration when deciding what to include on this list. Most popular passwords, longest messages sent into space, and most common english names in movies. Strengths is the longest word in the english language containing only one vowel letter.
Appearing in the oxford english dictionary, this 45letter word for a disease is the longest english word that is defined in a major dictionary. Its a question that creeps up on us all at some stage. Some people give different answers, but there is only one correct one. The identity of the longest word in english depends upon the definition of what constitutes a word in the english language, as well as how length should be compared words may be derived naturally from the language s roots or formed by coinage and construction. I recently discovered the longest word in english after a discussion with an old friend from college.
And thats okay, because holy shit, most people dont read pages of anything in the course of a year, much less sit down and write something that length thats publishable. Have you ever been curious about the longest word in the english language. What is the longest sentence in english literature answers. Euouae, a medieval musical term, is the longest english word consisting only of vowels, and the word with the most consecutive vowels. The identity of the longest word in english depends upon the definition of what constitutes a word in the english language, as well as how length should be compared.
It is also one of the longest monosyllabic words of the english language. The best longest books 70 books goodreads share book. In english, two palindromic novels have been published. Wondering about the longest words in the english language. Fancy something a bit more challenging for your next read. In the guinness book of world records 2008 it does not say what the longest word in the english language is. The war and peace that were familiar with is a translated work. This is the top 5 longest novels in english language. Despite being in the dictionary, the word was originally made up by the president of the national puzzlers league. Proust is no match for these two fanfics the daily dot. Dont think this oc came out of nowhere because there is a prequel to this fic so my oc and lucario could be developed if you want to read it. Jun 04, 2014 in fact, the longest american novel only barely cracks the top 10 in terms of the longest in history. Unlike most english palindromes, which usually have seven letters or fewer, this has 11.
Top 10 longest words in english and the most difficult. Nevertheless, here is a list of the worlds top 10 longest books in terms of number of words. Its theme of involuntary memory is repeated through the course of following the narrators life, from childhood to adulthood. What is the worlds longest book in english answers. Sep 06, 2016 most resources claim that the book of psalms is the longest book in the old testament, and therefore the bible.
It took up,095 pages spread over 10 volumes, with over two million words, and a french name which is the reason why were not even bothering to write it out for you. The novel adheres to classic aristotelian canons of peripeteia, nemesis and catharsis, and is considered one of the classic epistolary novels in the english language. In this video i read the longest english word to ever exist. The 7 longest books in america the longest novel ever published was written in the 1600s. Just looking over an english study book will tell you that so many odd ifs and buts apply to so many words that it is enough to drive one crazy. However, joyces record has recently been surpassed. Jun 12, 2011 what is the longest word in the english language. There is no current worlds largest dog listed in the guinness book of records. The longest words in the english language free stories. Here are 25 examples of the oddities in the english language.
The longest word in the english language leaving literature to one side for a moment is a staggering 189,819 letters long. The 7 longest books in american history america fun fact. According to a 1983 guinness book of records, this monster once qualified as literatures longest at 1,288 words, but that record has long been surpassed, in english at least, by jonathan coes the rotters club, which ends with a 33pagelong,955 word sentence. The english language does indeed include some extraordinarily long words. Top 10 longest novels in the english language 10 infinite jest david foster wallace. Posted in longest novel, the blah story, tagged longest book ever written, longest book ever written in english, longest book in history, longest book in the world, longest novel, longest novel in english language, longest novel series, longest novels ever written, longest published book, nigel tomm, the blah story on july 16, 2008 leave a. Length of a book is typically associated with its sizespecifically page countleading many to assume the largest and thickest book equates to its length. Longest words in the english language yourdictionary. If the calculation is based on the number of verses or the number of chapters or the number of pages, it is correct. And i thought the stand was long its only 1168 pages.
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