The English language is unique and sometimes... weird! Have you ever heard the words "flummox" or "kerfuffle"?
Many of these strange words are commonly used in everyday conversation, but many are never used or even heard of anymore.
Ready to find out what these 50 weird words and their meanings are?
What is a Weird Word?
What exactly makes a weird word a “weird word”? Here are some reasons for that.
If you find it amusing or strange and have trouble pronouncing it, it's probably a “weird word”.
If you find the word very rarely, it could be a “weird word”.
However, weird words have their charm. So, let's learn about them now!
50 Weird Words in English You Might Never Hear Before
To make it easier for you to learn, here is a list of weird English words, their meanings, and how they are used in daily conversation.
1. Argle-bargle
It means noisy, rambling, or nonsensical talk or argument. It’s often used to describe confused or meaningless chatter.
Andie: “Gosh, I feel so tired today. The last class was so noisy.”
Patrick: “Well, it’s because the classroom was filled with the argle-bargle instead of addressing the real issues.”
2. Bumfuzzle
That word means confusing, perplexing, or flustered behavior, like a cat chasing a laser pointer.
Andie: “Did you see the confused old man earlier?”
Patrick: “Looks like he was bumfuzzled when he realized he’d gone to the wrong airport.”
3. Bafflegap
It’s the same as confusing or unintelligible jargon, like the situation when you need a translator to know what someone’s saying.
Andie: “The instructions were full of bafflegap. I couldn’t understand a single word.”
Patrick: “I'm also confused, let's continue this task later.”
4. Blatherskite
It portrays someone who can talk nonsense while sleeping, someone who speaks foolishly or at length.
Andie: “He’s such a blatherskite! He could talk for hours about nothing.”
Patrick: “He could probably even say that all day long.”
5. Brouhaha
This can mean a noisy, over-excited reaction or commotion when a small thing turns into a big drama.
Andie: “Oh, I missed something important! What's going on?”
Patrick: “There was a big brouhaha at the game when the referee made a controversial call.”
6. Canoodle
A perfect word to describe affectionate behavior. It's the same as when you picture puppies cuddling.
Andie: “I saw the kids canoodling in the park this morning, they're having a picnic.”
Patrick: “So cute!”
7. Claptrap
It means nonsense or foolish talk. Think of when someone’s trying to sell you something you don’t need.
Andie: “What he promised was true?”
Patrick: “That’s just a lot of claptrap! Don’t believe a word of it.”
8. Cockamamie
It means ridiculous or nonsensical. Just like when a plan sounds so crazy, it just might work (or not).
Andie: “How about we copy his way of making a profit?”
Patrick: “That’s a cockamamie idea! It’ll never work.”
9. Cattywampus
It refers to something lopsided or bent, like when your hat is slightly tilted, that means it's cattywampus!
Andie: “The picture frame is hanging cattywampus. It’s driving me crazy!”
Patrick: “Okay, just calm down.”
10. Erinaceous
It describes something or someone who resembles a hedgehog.
Andie: “You’re looking quite erinaceous today.”
Patrick: “What do you say?!”
11. Flibbertigibbet
Another funny word! This word refers to someone who flits from one thing to another without focus, a careless or dreamy person.
Andie: “Teaching her math is very tiring."
Patrick: “She’s such a flibbertigibbet. She can never focus on one thing for very long.”
12. Flummox
It describes a condition when you feel utterly confused. It’s the same as when you’re so lost, and even Google Maps can’t help, it’s flummoxed.
Andie: “I'm very confused about this.”
Patrick: “I was also flummoxed by the instructions. They were so confusing”
13. Folderol
It means a situation when someone is just trying to impress you with big words.
Andie: “All that folderol about etiquette is just a waste of time.”
Patrick: “She does like to discuss unnecessary things.”
14. Galumph
This word means to move noisily or clumsily. Think of a picture of an elephant trying to dance ballet.
Andie: “Oh my, what happened to him?”
Patrick: “He galumphed across the room and tripped over the rug.”
15. Gobbledygook
This means something complicated and challenging, like the kind of jargon that makes your eyes glaze over.
Andie: “I tried to understand the technical manual, but it was all gobbledygook to me.”
Patrick: “Let's leave it at that.”
16. Guffaw
The kind of laugh that makes everyone look at you, it’s a guffaw, a loud and boisterous laugh.
Andie: “He let out a loud guffaw when I told him the joke.”
Patrick: “What can I say, that joke is notoriously funny.”
17. Hodgepodge
It represents a mixed collection of things, like a drawer full of mismatched socks.
Andie: “What is this menu made from?”
Patrick: “The casserole was a hodgepodge of leftover vegetables and meat.”
18. Hubbub
A word that fits the sound of a busy marketplace, the chaotic sound caused by a crowd of people.
Andie: “There was a great hubbub at the market.”
Patrick: “Probably there will be a big event soon.”
19. Hullabaloo
When everyone’s shouting, and no one knows what’s going on, it’s hullabaloo. Sounds interesting, huh?
Andie: “What’s all the hullabaloo about?”
Patrick: “I don’t know, maybe the sound of people at the concert.”
20. Jiggery-pokery
It describes suspicious activity when things seem too good to be true.
Andie: “What's wrong with you, is there something wrong??”
Patrick: “I suspect there’s some jiggery-pokery going on here.”
21. Kerfuffle
It illustrates a commotion or fuss when everyone’s talking at once, and no one’s listening.
Andie: “I heard a kerfuffle in the hallway. I hope everything is alright.”
Patrick: “It’s okay, It must have been just a normal commotion.”
22. Lollygag
It’s the same as dawdling or wasting time, like doing absolutely nothing.
Andie: “What would you like to eat later? I think it would be fun to eat pasta.”
Patrick: “Stop lollygagging and get your chores done first!”
23. Malarkey
A word that fits when someone is trying to play a trick on you.
Andie: “Do you want to know the story I got from Lia earlier?”
Patrick: “Don’t give me that malarkey.”
24. Mumbo-jumbo
Think of a language or ritual that is intentionally difficult to understand, like when someone’s trying to confuse you with complicated explanations.
Andie: “He tried to confuse me with his mumbo jumbo.”
Patrick: “He is famous for that.”
25. Namby-pamby
You can use this word when you are drained of energy.
Andie: “Why is he being punished again today?”
Patrick: “He offered a namby-pamby excuse for being late.”
26. Nincompoop
It pictures someone who is a fool or stupid.
Andie: “Did you hear Lia's story yesterday? It sounded fun.”
Patrick: “Only a nincompoop would believe that story.”
27. Nudiustertian
It’s the word for the “day before yesterday”! It sure is an interesting-sounding word.
Andie: “Did you happen to see the game nudiustertian?”
Patrick: “Yeah, it was a nail-biter!”
28. Persnickety
You can use this word for someone who is very hard to please.
Andie: “She’s very persnickety about her food.”
Patrick: “Oh, that's why she only eats those things.”
29. Poppycock
It illustrates a situation when someone’s talking nonsense, so you just want to say, “Yeah, right” over and over.
Andie: “Did you know? He dismissed the idea as mere poppycock.”
Patrick: “He is indeed unreliable.”
30. Razzmatazz
Razzmatazz is the kind of show that leaves you breathless, like a noisy and exciting activity.
Andie: “What makes you happy today?”
Patrick: “He added some razzmatazz to the presentation to make it more exciting.”
31. Rigmarole
It's a long and complicated process, and you feel that you have to struggle to do even simple tasks.
Andie: “This whole process was a rigmarole of paperwork and bureaucracy.”
Patrick: “Huft… so tiring.”
32. Scofflaw
It means someone who habitually ignores the law, not a law-abiding citizen.
Andie: “Hey, look! He's cutting in line.”
Patrick: “He’s a scofflaw when it comes to parking tickets.”
33. Shenanigans
It describes playful or mischievous behavior, a kind of fun that might get you in trouble.
Andie: “Hey, the kids were getting into serious shenanigans in the backyard.”
Patrick: “Oh my god, what are they doing?”
34. Skedaddle
When you want to make a quick escape or just run away, you can use this word.
Andie: “It’s time for me to skedaddle. I have a train to catch.”
Patrick: “Okay, take care, Andie.”
35. Skulduggery
This refers to the kind of thing that happens in spy movies: cheating or immoral behavior.
Andie: “There’s some skulduggery going on behind the scenes.”
Patrick: “Is that so?”
36. Slapdash
Slapdash means when you’re rushing and carelessly doing something.
Andie: “How is your report progressing?”
Patrick: “The report was a slapdash job. It was full of errors.”
37. Snollygoster
A word that matches to portray someone who is a little too clever for their own good.
Andie: “Some say he’s a snollygoster, but I think he’s just a shrewd businessman.”
Patrick: “Yeah, there is also a point in not judging others too quickly.”
38. Squeegee
It’s a tool with a rubber blade to remove liquid from a surface. Isn't it funny?
Andie: “Is there anything else you need?”
Patrick: “I need to get a squeegee to clean the windows.”
39. Taradiddle
How do you tell a little white lie with a slight exaggeration or arrogant statement? It’s a taradiddle!
Andie: “I could tell she was telling a taradiddle by the way she was smiling.”
Patrick: “I suspect her too.”
40. Tatterdemalion
It refers to someone you wouldn't expect to see at a fashion show, someone in tattered outfits.
Andie: “The tatterdemalion beggar asked for some spare change.”
Patrick: “No need to deal with it.”
41. Thingamajig
The word you use when you can't remember the name of something.
Andie: “You need something, Patrick?”
Patrick: “I need that thingamajig to fix this.”
42. Tumult
This means loud and confusing sounds, especially those caused by large crowds.
Andie: “The crowd was in a tumult after the game.”
Patrick: “It must have been very crowded there.”
43. Wabbit
A word that is perfect for a condition when you feel exhausted, when it feels like running a marathon, even though you're just walking to the fridge.
Andie: “How was our workout today, wasn't it fun?”
Patrick: “I’m feeling wabbit after that workout.”
44. Whippersnapper
A fitting word for a young and inexperienced type of person.
Andie: “Hey, is what he said true?”
Patrick: “That whippersnapper thinks he knows everything.”
45. Widdershins
You can use this word as a synonym for “reverse.”
Andie: “What is your cat doing? It walked widdershins around the table”
Patrick: “To avoid bad luck, maybe.”
46. Woo-woo
Sounds funny, doesn't it? This word means unscientific or irrational beliefs.
Andie: “He sounds very convincing, doesn't he?”
Patrick: “Who would believe all that woo-woo stuff?”
47. Yonder
This word can be used as an adverb to show a specific place or direction, it’s the same as “over there.”
Andie: “Did you find any clues?”
Patrick: “I saw a light yonder in the distance.”
48. Zany
This means that it is very unusual and special. It refers to someone who’s a little bit crazy but in a good way.
Andie: “I've met Ray, he's so much fun!”
Patrick: “He’s known for his zany sense of humor.”
49. Zephyr
It describes a gentle breeze. The kind of wind that whispers through the trees. Sounds relaxing, isn’t it?
Andie: “Do you smell something fragrant?”
Patrick: “Yes, it must be the zephyr carried the scent of flowers”
50. Zoanthropy
This refers to someone who has delusions that they are the form of an animal or that they have been turned into an animal.
Andie: “I remember a movie where the main character turned into a wolf."
Patrick: “Hm, perhaps it could be an example of zoanthropy in mythology.”
Also read: 70 Tongue Twister in English (for Kids and Adults)
Conclusion
Don't let these weird words confuse you! By understanding their meanings, you'll be more confident in your English.
Expand your knowledge of unique and interesting English vocabulary.
Are you interested in other topics? Visit EZClass and the EZClass blog for more interesting articles. Also, remember to share this article with your friends who are learning English!
