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What is the longest word in the English language?
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It is not, as many people believe: 'antidisestablishmentarianism', although this was the longest English-language word to be formed not solely for its length.

The longest word ever published in a major English dictionary is:

'Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilico volcanoconiosis' (45 letters, no space)

(Sometimes spelled as -koniosis)

However, that is just from dictionaries, and there are longer words like place names such as the hill in New Zealand (also the longest known word from an English-speaking country) :

Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateatur ipukakapikimaungahoronukupokai whenuakitanatahul (85 letters, no space)

Then of course comes technical chemical names for things. Like the name for the 'coat protein, tobacco mosaic virus, dahlemense strain' which has 1,185 letters.

If chemical names and place names were included, the longest word in the English language is actually one that isn't printed in any dictionary. It is the full chemical name for the protein Titin, and has 189,819 letters in it. Such coined words would theoretically have no upper limit, and would have no use at all in the written or spoken language.

* see the discussion pages for an example of a long scientific name

* see the related link for more information



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First answer by Ranger22. Last edit by Natural Val. Contributor trust: 1780 [recommend contributor]. Question popularity: 18 [recommend question].

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