Impossible Words word list

Acceptance of something without protest, often despite reluctance.

“Someone mentioned acquiescence during the final challenge, and the conversation took a turn.”

Opposition to withdrawing state support from a church.

“Somebody actually said antidisestablishmentarianism.”

To die or cause death from lack of oxygen.

“Do not asphyxiate; the Y comes after the H, breathe.”

Native to the place where it is found or formed in its original location.

“The final challenge paused for a second when autochthonous showed up.”

A smooth seasoned sausage eaten in slices.

“His spelling of bologna was, fittingly, full of baloney.”

A tropical climbing plant known for bright papery bracts surrounding small flowers.

“One person at the final challenge swore they knew bougainvillea; the spelling attempt said otherwise.”

Conventionally middle-class in values or taste.

“It is very bourgeois to lose on a French word and blame France.”

The treatment of light and shade in art.

“The painting is pure chiaroscuro.”

Relating to the underworld beneath the earth.

“A chthonic groan rose from the couch when this was announced.”

A senior military officer.

“The colonel was not amused.”

Having naturally wavy hair.

“The final challenge table recognized cymotrichous instantly and still could not agree on the spelling.”

A small dog breed with a long body and short legs.

“The dachshund is short but its silent letters are not.”

To dry something out completely.

“Watching him guess the double letters could desiccate a lake.”

A condition of frequent loose stools.

“Nobody volunteered to spell diarrhea after hearing the definition.”

A sound formed by gliding between two vowels.

“He pronounced diphthong fine and then spelled it like a dare.”

A skin condition causing itchy inflammation.

“This word gives spellers a kind of emotional eczema.”

A medieval musical mnemonic made entirely of vowels, derived from a phrase in Gregorian chant.

“The final challenge somehow ended with everyone talking about euouae.”

The act of estimating something as worthless.

“Floccinaucinihilipilification is the kind of word that feels like its own punchline.”

A vivid purplish-pink color.

“His face turned fuchsia somewhere around the C-H-S.”

Relating to a governor or the office of governor.

“The final challenge table recognized gubernatorial instantly and still could not agree on the spelling.”

A heavy or uncontrolled flow of blood.

“The team began to hemorrhage points at the double R-H.”

A humorous term for the fear of very long words.

“At the final challenge, hippopotomonstrosesquipedaliophobia came up and everyone immediately had an opinion.”

A rare Latin-derived word meaning the state of being able to achieve honors.

“Nobody in the final challenge questioned the meaning of honorificabilitudinitatibus; the letters were the problem.”

A peculiar habit belonging to one person.

“Talking to plants is his idiosyncrasy.”

To protect against disease with a vaccine.

“Nothing can inoculate you against adding an extra N.”

A military officer ranking below captain.

“The lieutenant surrendered at the second E.”

To turn into liquid.

“Her confidence began to liquefy at the E-F-Y.”

Excessive, uncontrollable, or very rapid talkativeness.

“Someone used logorrhea correctly during the final challenge, then immediately second-guessed the spelling.”

A device that helps you remember something.

“He needed a mnemonic to spell mnemonic, which is the problem.”

A fragrant resin used in perfume and incense.

“The wise men brought myrrh and even they double-checked the spelling.”

A word that imitates a sound.

“Buzz is onomatopoeia.”

A condition in which fingernails or toenails become brittle and split lengthwise.

“Nobody in the final challenge questioned the meaning of onychorrhexis; the letters were the problem.”

A doctor who specializes in eyes.

“You need an ophthalmologist after seeing how she spelled it.”

The medical specialty dealing with the ear, nose, and throat.

“Someone confidently said otorhinolaryngology in the final challenge and immediately got challenged on the spelling.”

Miscellaneous equipment and belongings.

“Camping paraphernalia filled the trunk.”

A ruler of ancient Egypt.

“The pharaoh built a tomb.”

Thick mucus in the throat.

“The room produced audible phlegm when this word came up.”

An old medical term for a wasting disease, especially pulmonary tuberculosis.

“The final challenge somehow ended with everyone talking about phthisis.”

An infection of the lungs.

“He walked around with pneumonia for a week.”

A famously long coined word for a lung disease caused by inhaling extremely fine silica dust.

“The final challenge somehow ended with everyone talking about pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis.”

A false name used by an author.

“After that attempt he will be competing under a pseudonym.”

A genetic condition that resembles pseudohypoparathyroidism physically but lacks the same hormone resistance.

“One person at the final challenge swore they knew pseudopseudohypoparathyroidism; the spelling attempt said otherwise.”

The soft rustling sound of wind moving through leaves or trees.

“The final challenge table recognized psithurism instantly and still could not agree on the spelling.”

A bacterial infection that can spread from infected birds to humans.

“The final challenge table recognized psittacosis instantly and still could not agree on the spelling.”

A northern grouse with feathered feet.

“The ptarmigan hides in snow the way its P hides in silence.”

An extinct flying reptile.

“He screeched like a pterodactyl when the P turned out silent.”

An edible seed used as a grain.

“Nobody can spell or pronounce quinoa.”

Military scouting to gather information.

“All that reconnaissance and he still walked into the double N.”

A planned meeting at an agreed time and place.

“Their rendezvous ended when neither could spell the invitation.”

A strong repeated pattern of sound.

“He has no rhythm whatsoever.”

Violating something sacred.

“Reheating that pasta is sacrilegious.”

Pleasure taken in another person's misfortune.

“The schadenfreude in this room is at unsafe levels.”

An instrument for measuring blood pressure.

“Someone fetch the sphygmomanometer, his pressure just spiked.”

A figure of speech in which a part represents the whole, or the whole represents a part.

“Someone confidently said synecdoche in the final challenge and immediately got challenged on the spelling.”

An alignment of three celestial bodies.

“Syzygy has three Ys and zero mercy.”

An intense fear or superstition concerning the number thirteen.

“The word triskaidekaphobia sparked the longest debate of the final challenge.”

Food and provisions.

“Bring victuals, because this word is a long siege.”

A savory English sauce and county.

“Two drops of Worcestershire.”

Feeding on or eating wood.

“As soon as xylophagous appeared in the final challenge, everyone started silently counting letters.”

A large boat used for pleasure or racing.

“You cannot afford the yacht or the letters it comes with.”

A genus of tropical American weevils, famous for appearing near the end of dictionaries.

“Someone used zyzzyva correctly during the final challenge, then immediately second-guessed the spelling.”