Spoonerism

Pronunciation: /ˈspuːnəˌrɪzəm/

Definitions of spoonerism

noun A verbal error in which a speaker accidentally transposes the initial sounds or letters of two or more words, often with humorous results

Example Sentences

A1 I learned about spoonerisms in my English class.

A2 The teacher explained what a spoonerism is during the lesson.

B1 She enjoys creating spoonerisms as a fun word game with her friends.

B2 The comedian's act included a hilarious spoonerism that had the audience in stitches.

C1 The author's clever use of spoonerisms added a unique twist to the novel.

C2 His talent for creating witty spoonerisms made him a popular figure in the literary world.

Examples of spoonerism in a Sentence

formal A spoonerism is a linguistic error in which the initial sounds of two words are swapped.

informal My friend always makes spoonerisms when he's tired and talking too fast.

slang I love to create spoonerisms for fun, it always makes people laugh.

figurative The comedian's jokes were like spoonerisms, turning words around to create humor.

Grammatical Forms of spoonerism

• past tense: spoonerized
• plural: spoonerisms
• comparative: more spooneristic
• superlative: most spooneristic
• present tense: spoonerizes
• future tense: will spoonerize
• perfect tense: have spoonerized
• continuous tense: is spoonerizing
• singular: spoonerism
• positive degree: spooneristic
• infinitive: to spoonerize
• gerund: spoonerizing
• participle: spoonerized

Origin and Evolution of spoonerism

First Known Use: 1900 year

Language of Origin: English

Story behind the word: The term 'spoonerism' is named after Reverend William Archibald Spooner, a 19th-century Anglican clergyman and scholar known for his tendency to accidentally transpose the initial sounds or letters of words.

Evolution of the word: Initially used to describe Reverend Spooner's verbal slip-ups, 'spoonerism' has evolved to refer to any similar error in speech where sounds or letters are switched between words.