In 11th grade my English teacher asked the entire class what our favorite words were and why. It was extremely interesting to contemplate because I had never thought about it before and even more entertaining to hear some of my classmates’ answers and rationale. Just recently I was asked the same exact question by a stranger at work—less expected coming from him than an English teacher—but nevertheless I was at least prepared this time. Afterwards I began to think about how we chose our words when speaking or writing and what it says about us. Does someone’s favorite word indicate that person’s intelligence? Their maturity? Their view on life or their general disposition? The more I thought about it, the more intrigued I became. I then decided to ask around, consulting family, friends and classmates, about their favorite word and why they liked it so much. I’ve since compiled a brief list—if 30 items can be considered “brief”—of some of the results I got. For many, it was the first they had ever been asked that question,--not surprising, it’s certainly an odd question to ask—which meant that very few were able to respond right away. To be able to make an attempt at answering my aforementioned question I made sure to ask a multitude of people ranging in age, differing in gender, and representing a variety of educational backgrounds. Below you’ll find a sample of just some of the responses I got; enjoy and as you read through the list, consider what your own answer would be should you be asked the same.
“What is your favorite word and why?”
Future “Because you can’t let your past control you and there are only good things to look forward to”
Ireland-“To me it means all the best; family, friends, fun, spirit, soul, and home”
Ecstatic-“I’m not really sure why”
Articulate-“Because it sounds fun and I appreciate the idea of being able to speak one’s mind as effectively as possible”
Inappropriate-“The word isn’t “inappropriate.” My favorite word is a curse word.”
Audacity-“Especially when used in an argument. There’s just something about the word that lets people know you mean business”
Velociraptor-“The word itself reflects the meaning; it’s graceful, sharp, and fast”
Magnanimity-“One the one hand it rolls of the tongue nicely and on the other hand it has a neat meaning. It involves realizing we are much happier when we see all we’ve been given and have to offer”
Crisp-“Even though it’s not an onomatopoeia, it could be. You can hear what it means through all the syllables. Calling something crisp feels fresh and just right in some way.”
Ambiguous-“Because it basically describes things that can have multiple meanings and I like that it’s open to interpretation and it itself can be negative or positive depending on the context. Plus it sounds cool”
Blasphemous-“It’s dramatic but I laugh every time I say it or hear it”
Raze-“I feel like the word holds a lot of power. You don’t “wreck” a building or “collapse” it. You raze it to the freaking ground."
Hospitality-“Because it can be expressed in a multitude of different ways and when it’s there it makes people feel loved”
Sphygmomanometer-“I like it because it’s a pretty ridiculous word, but it’s something that nearly everyone has used or knows about, we just don’t know what it’s called”
Fuck-“It is a way to describe life”
Smile-“Because you’re happy when you see or make someone do it and it only makes you want to join in with them”
Pterodactyl-“I love words with silent letters in them, this one especially”
Summer-“Because it reminds me of hanging with friends and having a good time and not having to worry about anything”
“I would but I don’t have a favorite word” (I got this, along with “I don’t know” and “I’m not sure” as response for a fair share of my efforts)
Love-“Because it’s a happy feeling word”
Ridiculous-“I like that it’s a word I can use without sounding weird but is still like a word not everyone uses. I feel like odd words make people pay more attention. Also it can be used to say a lot of very different things.”
Win-“Because winning is awesome”
Exactly-“Because it’s always an awesome feeling when someone agrees without having to explain too much because they totally understand”
Wicked-“Because I’m from Massachusetts and I feel as though the way I use it tells people about me”
Off-“Because it is a word that can mean the opposite of itself. As in turn something off and the alarm goes off”
Butterfly-“They are pretty to look at, fun to watch, pretty much harmless, plus I heard if you see one and whisper “I love you” they will fly to heaven and give your loved one the message”
Comfy-“Comfortable is such a long word so I like that it’s a shorter version. It sounds kinda funny when you say it and it invokes a feeling of warmth and safety”
Love (again)-“It can describe so many things. Love for people, love for objects, love for locations, but all mean a genuine, strong feeling for something!”
Mayhaps-“It’s a combination of maybe and perhaps. I like the way it sounds a lot for some reason. It’s fun to say”
Paramour-“Because it has two meanings that contradict each other. The first meaning is a significant other. The second meaning is a mistress”
While reading through my responses, did you at all consider what your favorite word is? Did you decide on one or two or decide that you simply couldn’t decide? Did the reasoning behind your choice have to do with because you liked the meaning or the pronunciation or the spelling? Was it a word you tend to use a lot when speaking or writing? Or was it something entirely random? I received everything from short words to long ones, nouns to verbs to adjectives. The results were also pretty inconclusive regarding any specific factors such as age or gender. I got the same result from both a person with a college degree as I did from a child, which I believe proves that your favorite word or the way you speak does not necessarily indicate an extensive vocabulary. It may be easy to take a guess at a person’s favorite band or TV show based on their appearance or personality, but I think one’s favorite word is actually much less perceptible. I hope this article encouraged you to contemplate what your own favorite word might be; if you are ever encountered with the prompt at hand you will guaranteed be one of the few who are prepared!
*And in case anyone was wondering, my favorite word is a tie between infatuated and serendipitous. The first because I think the word love is overused and it can be used to describe how one feels about an idea or a concept rather than just an object or a person. The latter because I think it’s a sweet way to say “coincidentally lucky” and it rolls off the tongue well.
