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All writers love language. And we especially love fun words, don’t we? Some have funky spellings, tongue-twisting turns, a satisfying “ooh”…and some sound too hilarious to be true! So I’ve put together a list of favorite fun words that I’ll add to periodically. Have fun, lexicon lovers!

  1. abecedarian
  2. abracadabra
  3. accoutrements
  4. adagio
  5. aficionado
  6. agita
  7. agog
  8. akimbo
  9. alfresco
  10. aloof
  11. ambrosial
  12. amok
  13. ampersand
  14. anemone
  15. anthropomorphic
  16. antimacassar
  17. aplomb
  18. apogee
  19. apoplectic
  20. appaloosa
  21. apparatus
  22. archipelago
  23. atingle
  24. avuncular
  25. azure
  26. babushka
  27. bailiwick
  28. bafflegab
  29. balderdash
  30. ballistic
  31. bamboozle
  32. bandwagon
  33. barnstorming
  34. beanpole
  35. bedlam
  36. befuddled
  37. bellwether
  38. berserk
  39. bibliopole
  40. bigmouth
  41. bippy
  42. blabbermouth
  43. blatherskite
  44. blindside
  45. blob
  46. blockhead
  47. blowback
  48. blowhard
  49. blubbering
  50. bluestockings
  51. boing
  52. boffo (boffola)
  53. bombastic
  54. bonanza
  55. bonkers
  56. boondocks
  57. boondoggle
  58. borborygmus
  59. bozo
  60. braggadocio
  61. brainstorm
  62. brannigan
  63. breakneck
  64. brouhaha
  65. buckaroo
  66. bucolic
  67. buffoon
  68. bugaboo
  69. bugbear
  70. bulbous
  71. bumbledom
  72. bumfuzzle
  73. bumpkin
  74. bungalow
  75. bunkum
  76. bupkis
  77. burnsides
  78. busybody
  79. cacophony
  80. cahoots
  81. calliope
  82. candelabra
  83. canoodle
  84. cantankerous
  85. catamaran
  86. catastrophe
  87. catawampus
  88. caterwaul
  89. chatterbox
  90. chichi
  91. chimerical
  92. chimichanga
  93. chitchat
  94. claptrap
  95. clishmaclaver
  96. clodhopper
  97. cockamamie
  98. cockatoo
  99. codswallop
  100. collywobbles
  101. colossus
  102. comeuppance
  103. concoction
  104. conniption
  105. contraband
  106. conundrum
  107. convivial
  108. copacetic
  109. corkscrew
  110. cornucopia
  111. cowabunga
  112. coxcomb
  113. crackerjack
  114. crescendo
  115. crestfallen
  116. cryptozoology
  117. cuckoo
  118. curlicue
  119. curmudgeon
  120. demitasse
  121. denouement
  122. desperado
  123. diaphanous
  124. diddly-squat
  125. digeridoo
  126. dilemma
  127. dillydally
  128. dimwit
  129. diphthong
  130. dirigible
  131. discombobulated
  132. dodecahedron
  133. doldrums
  134. donkeyman
  135. donnybrook
  136. doodad
  137. doohickey (this is what I call a library due date card)
  138. doppelganger
  139. dumbfounded
  140. dumbwaiter
  141. dunderhead
  142. earwig
  143. eavesdrop
  144. ebullient
  145. effervescence
  146. egads
  147. eggcorn
  148. egghead
  149. elixir
  150. ephemeral
  151. epiphany
  152. eucatastrophe
  153. extraterrestrial
  154. finagle
  155. fandango
  156. festooned
  157. fez
  158. fiasco
  159. fiddle-footed
  160. fiddlesticks
  161. finicky
  162. firebrand
  163. fishwife
  164. fisticuffs
  165. flabbergasted
  166. flapdoodle
  167. flibbertigibbet
  168. flimflam
  169. flippant
  170. floccinaucinihilipilification
  171. flophouse
  172. flotsam
  173. flummery
  174. flummoxed
  175. flyaway
  176. flyspeck
  177. folderol
  178. foofaraw
  179. foolhardy
  180. foolscap
  181. footloose
  182. fopdoodle
  183. fortuitous
  184. fracas
  185. frangipani
  186. freewheeling
  187. fricassee
  188. frippery
  189. frogman
  190. froufrou
  191. fuddy-duddy
  192. fussbudget
  193. futz
  194. gadfly
  195. gadzooks
  196. gallimaufry
  197. gangplank
  198. gangway
  199. gargoyle
  200. gasbag
  201. gazebo
  202. gazpacho
  203. gewgaw
  204. genteel
  205. ghostwriter
  206. gibberish
  207. gimcrack
  208. gizmo
  209. glabella
  210. glitch
  211. globetrotter
  212. gobbledygook
  213. gobsmacked
  214. goosebump
  215. gooseflesh
  216. gorgonzola
  217. gossamer
  218. grandiloquent
  219. greenhorn
  220. guffaw
  221. gumshoe
  222. guru
  223. gussied
  224. guttersnipe
  225. haberdashery
  226. haboob
  227. hairpin
  228. halcyon
  229. halfwit
  230. hangdog
  231. haphazard
  232. harebrained
  233. harumph
  234. harum-scarum
  235. headlong
  236. heartstrings
  237. heebie-jeebie
  238. heirloom
  239. helter-skelter
  240. hemidemisemiquaver
  241. heyday
  242. higgledy-piggledy
  243. highfalutin
  244. hijinks
  245. hillbilly
  246. hippocampus
  247. hippogriff
  248. hobbledehoy
  249. hobnobbed
  250. hocus-pocus
  251. hodgepodge
  252. hogwash
  253. hokum
  254. hoodoo
  255. hoodwink
  256. hooey
  257. hooligan
  258. hoopla
  259. hootenanny
  260. hornswoggle
  261. horsefeathers
  262. hotbed
  263. hotfoot
  264. hothead
  265. hubbub
  266. hullabaloo
  267. humbug
  268. humdinger
  269. humdrum
  270. hunky-dory
  271. hurly-burly
  272. hushpuppy
  273. huzzah
  274. hyperbole
  275. idiom
  276. idiosyncrasies
  277. igloo
  278. ignoramus
  279. impromptu
  280. incognito
  281. incredulous
  282. indomitable
  283. indubitably
  284. infinitesimal
  285. interloper
  286. interrobang
  287. ironclad
  288. izzard
  289. jabberwocky
  290. jacuzzi
  291. jalopy
  292. jamboree
  293. jargogle
  294. jawbreaker
  295. jetsam
  296. jibber-jabber
  297. jitney
  298. jubilee
  299. juggernaut
  300. jujubes
  301. jumbo
  302. junket
  303. juxtaposition
  304. kaleidoscope
  305. kaput
  306. kerfuffle
  307. kerplunk
  308. kibosh
  309. killjoy
  310. kismet
  311. knickerbocker
  312. knickknack
  313. kowtow
  314. kumquat
  315. kvetch
  316. lackadaisical
  317. lagoon
  318. lambasted
  319. lampoon
  320. landlubber
  321. laughingstock
  322. lexicographer
  323. limburger
  324. lingo
  325. loco
  326. loggerhead
  327. logjam
  328. logophile
  329. logorrhea
  330. lollapalooza
  331. lollygag
  332. loofah
  333. loony
  334. loophole
  335. lugubrious
  336. lummox
  337. machinations
  338. madcap
  339. maelstrom
  340. magnificent
  341. majordomo
  342. malapropism
  343. malarkey
  344. manifesto
  345. mastermind
  346. mayhem
  347. mealymouthed
  348. mellifluous
  349. menagerie
  350. miasma
  351. miffed
  352. milquetoast
  353. misanthrope
  354. mishmash
  355. moocher
  356. mojo (also a character in THE MONSTORE)
  357. mollycoddle
  358. mondegreen
  359. moniker
  360. monkeyshines
  361. monsoon
  362. mnemonic
  363. moonstruck
  364. muckety-muck
  365. mudpuppy
  366. mudslinger
  367. muffuletta
  368. mufti
  369. mulligatawny
  370. mumbo-jumbo
  371. murmuration
  372. muumuu
  373. nabob
  374. namby-pamby
  375. nimrod
  376. nincompoop
  377. nitwit
  378. nomenclature
  379. nonplussed
  380. noodge
  381. nudnik
  382. numbskull
  383. onomatopoeia
  384. oomph
  385. orotund
  386. outfox
  387. outlandish
  388. oxymoron
  389. pachyderm
  390. pagoda
  391. palindrome
  392. palomino
  393. panache
  394. pandemonium
  395. pantaloons
  396. papyrus
  397. parabola
  398. parallelogram
  399. parapet
  400. paraphernalia
  401. pedagogue
  402. peewee
  403. pell-mell
  404. persimmon
  405. persnickety
  406. pettifogger
  407. phalanx
  408. phantasmagorical
  409. phantonym
  410. phylactery
  411. piffle
  412. pizzazz
  413. plethora
  414. pogo
  415. pogonip
  416. pollex
  417. pollywog
  418. poltroon
  419. pomposity
  420. poppycock
  421. portmanteau
  422. potpourri
  423. pseudonym
  424. pugnacious
  425. pulchritudinous
  426. pusillanimous
  427. pussyfoot
  428. quibble
  429. quicksilver
  430. quicksticks
  431. quiddle
  432. quinzee
  433. quirky
  434. quixotic
  435. quizzity
  436. rabble-rouser
  437. raconteur
  438. rainmaker
  439. ragamuffin
  440. ragtag
  441. ransack
  442. rapscallion
  443. razzle-dazzle
  444. razzmatazz
  445. rejigger
  446. rendezvous
  447. resplendent
  448. rickrack
  449. ricochet
  450. riffraff
  451. rigmarole
  452. riposte
  453. roundabout
  454. roustabout
  455. rubberneck
  456. ruckus
  457. ruffian
  458. rugrat
  459. rumpus
  460. sabayon
  461. sashay
  462. sassafras
  463. scalawag (also scallywag)
  464. scatterbrain
  465. schadenfreude
  466. schlep
  467. schluffy
  468. schmooze
  469. schmutz
  470. scintillating
  471. scrofulous
  472. scrumdiddlyumptious (Dahlism)
  473. scuttlebutt
  474. serendipity
  475. sesquipedalian
  476. shabang
  477. shenanigans
  478. skedaddle
  479. skullduggery
  480. slapdash
  481. slapstick
  482. slipshod
  483. smithereens
  484. smorgasbord
  485. snollygoster
  486. sobriquet
  487. sojourn
  488. spellbind
  489. splendiferous
  490. squeegee
  491. squooshy
  492. staccato
  493. stupefaction
  494. succotash
  495. supercilious
  496. superfluous
  497. Svengali
  498. swashbuckler
  499. switcheroo
  500. swizzlestick
  501. synchronicity
  502. syzygy
  503. talisman
  504. taradiddle
  505. tchotchke
  506. teepee
  507. telekinesis
  508. thingamabob
  509. thingamajig
  510. thunderstruck
  511. tidbit
  512. tintinnabulation
  513. toadstool
  514. toady
  515. tomfoolery
  516. tommyrot
  517. toothsome
  518. topsy-turvy
  519. trapezoid
  520. tub-thumper
  521. tumultuous
  522. typhoon
  523. ululation
  524. umlaut
  525. umpteen
  526. usurp
  527. uvula
  528. vamoose
  529. verisimilitude
  530. vermicious (well, if I included one Dahlism, why not another?)
  531. vertigo
  532. verve
  533. virtuoso
  534. vivacious
  535. vuvuzela
  536. wackadoodle
  537. wallflower
  538. wanderlust
  539. whatchamacallit
  540. whatsis
  541. whimsical
  542. whippersnapper
  543. whirligig
  544. whirlybird
  545. whizbang
  546. whodunit
  547. whoop
  548. widget
  549. wigwam
  550. willy-nilly
  551. windbag
  552. wipeout
  553. wiseacre
  554. wisecrack
  555. wisenheimer
  556. wishy-washy
  557. woebegone
  558. wonky
  559. woozy
  560. wordplay
  561. wordsmith
  562. wunderkind
  563. wuthering
  564. xylophone
  565. yahoo
  566. yellow-belly
  567. yokel
  568. yo-yo
  569. zaftig
  570. zeitgeist
  571. zenzizenzizenzic (yes, this is a word! look it up!)
  572. zephyr
  573. zeppelin
  574. ziggurat
  575. zigzag
  576. zonked
  577. zoom
  578. zydeco