What Is the Fear of Long Words Actually Called?

💡 The Answer

• The fear of long words is called Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia — itself 36 letters long.
• The root of the word traces back to Roman poet Horace, who used a similar term in the first century BCE.
• American poet Aimee Nezheukumatathil coined the modern version of the term in 2000.
• The irony of giving a phobia about long words an extremely long name is entirely intentional.