Spellmates
Plus pack

Absurd English word list

Real words, fake sounding. 82 words with definitions, example sentences and origins — every one of them shows up when you pick this pack in a game.

10 easy45 medium27 hardSpellmates Plus

Every word in the pack

  • absquatulate

    verb · hard

    To leave abruptly or flee.

    “He tried to absquatulate with the score sheet.”

  • ballyhoo

    noun · medium

    Loud exaggerated publicity or fuss.

    “The ballyhoo died instantly when the word appeared.”

  • bamboozle

    verb · medium

    To trick or confuse someone.

    “The double O will bamboozle at least three of you.”

  • blatherskite

    noun · hard

    A person who talks endless nonsense.

    “The blatherskite explained the rules wrong for ten minutes.”

  • bloviate

    verb · medium

    To talk at length in an empty, pompous way.

    “He will bloviate about strategy and then miss a five-letter word.”

  • boondoggle

    noun · medium

    A wasteful and pointless project.

    “His three-part spelling strategy was a complete boondoggle.”

  • borborygmus

    noun · hard

    A rumbling noise from the intestines.

    “The only sound was borborygmus from whoever skipped dinner.”

  • braggadocio

    noun · hard

    Boastful, arrogant behavior.

    “All that braggadocio evaporated at the first vowel.”

  • brouhaha

    noun · medium

    A noisy uproar.

    “The brouhaha lasted all evening.”

  • bumfuzzle

    verb · medium

    To confuse or fluster.

    “The rules bumfuzzle everyone.”

  • bumptious

    adjective · medium

    Overconfident, pushy, and annoyingly self-important.

    “The absurd-word round table recognized bumptious instantly and still could not agree on the spelling.”

  • canoodle

    verb · medium

    To kiss and cuddle affectionately.

    “They went to canoodle in the kitchen and missed their turn.”

  • cantankerous

    adjective · medium

    Bad-tempered and argumentative.

    “He gets cantankerous whenever someone spells faster than him.”

  • cattywampus

    adjective · hard

    Askew or in disarray.

    “The whole shelf is cattywampus.”

  • claptrap

    noun · medium

    Showy nonsense meant to impress.

    “Enough claptrap, just spell the word.”

  • cockalorum

    noun · hard

    A boastful, self-important little person.

    “Cockalorum turned the absurd-word round into an unexpectedly competitive spelling moment.”

  • cockamamie

    adjective · medium

    Ridiculous, implausible, or poorly thought out.

    “By the end of the absurd-word round, cockamamie was still the word people were debating.”

  • codswallop

    noun · medium

    Utter nonsense.

    “Claiming you meant to spell it wrong is codswallop.”

  • collywobbles

    noun · hard

    A feeling of nervous stomach.

    “The final round gives me collywobbles.”

  • defenestration

    noun · medium

    The act of throwing something out a window.

    “The scorecard narrowly avoided defenestration.”

  • dillydally

    verb · medium

    To waste time by dawdling.

    “Do not dillydally, the timer has no chill.”

  • discombobulate

    verb · medium

    To confuse or upset someone.

    “Nothing will discombobulate you faster than confident silence.”

  • dollop

    noun · easy

    A shapeless blob of something soft.

    “He added a dollop of confidence and zero correct letters.”

  • donnybrook

    noun · medium

    A chaotic brawl or heated argument.

    “The tiebreaker turned into a full donnybrook over one vowel.”

  • doohickey

    noun · medium

    A small gadget or object whose exact name is unknown or forgotten.

    “Doohickey was the one word everyone remembered after the absurd-word round.”

  • fisticuffs

    noun · medium

    A fight with bare fists.

    “It nearly came to fisticuffs over the bonus point.”

  • flapdoodle

    noun · medium

    Foolish nonsense.

    “That was inspired flapdoodle, but it was not spelling.”

  • flibbertigibbet

    noun · hard

    A frivolous, flighty person.

    “He called her a flibbertigibbet.”

  • flummox

    verb · medium

    To completely confuse someone.

    “One X placed correctly can flummox an entire team.”

  • folderol

    noun · medium

    Foolishness, nonsense, or unnecessary fuss.

    “Nobody in the absurd-word round questioned the meaning of folderol; the letters were the problem.”

  • gadzooks

    noun · medium

    An old-fashioned exclamation of surprise or annoyance.

    “The host read out gadzooks during the absurd-word round, and half the room asked to hear it again.”

  • gallimaufry

    noun · hard

    A confused mixture or jumble of different things.

    “Nobody expected gallimaufry to become the most memorable word of the absurd-word round.”

  • gallivant

    verb · medium

    To roam around in search of fun.

    “He would rather gallivant to the snack table than spell.”

  • gibberish

    noun · easy

    Speech or writing that is meaningless or impossible to understand.

    “When gibberish appeared, the absurd-word round got noticeably louder.”

  • gobbledygook

    noun · hard

    Language that makes no sense.

    “The contract is gobbledygook.”

  • gobsmacked

    adjective · easy

    Utterly astonished.

    “We were gobsmacked when Dave got one right.”

  • gongoozler

    noun · hard

    A person who idly watches activity on canals or waterways.

    “When gongoozler appeared, the absurd-word round got noticeably louder.”

  • goofball

    noun · easy

    A silly or foolish person, usually in an affectionate way.

    “The host read out goofball during the absurd-word round, and half the room asked to hear it again.”

  • guffaw

    noun · medium

    A loud hearty burst of laughter.

    “His spelling earned a guffaw from his own mother.”

  • hobbledehoy

    noun · hard

    An awkward, clumsy young person.

    “When hobbledehoy appeared, the absurd-word round got noticeably louder.”

  • hodgepodge

    noun · medium

    A confused mixture of things.

    “His answer was a hodgepodge of letters chosen by vibes.”

  • hoopla

    noun · easy

    Excited commotion or fuss.

    “All that hoopla for a four-letter word he still missed.”

  • hornswoggle

    verb · medium

    To cheat or trick someone.

    “You cannot hornswoggle a judge who has the card in hand.”

  • hubbub

    noun · easy

    A loud confused noise from many people.

    “The hubbub started when Grandma won the tiebreaker.”

  • hullabaloo

    noun · medium

    A great deal of fuss.

    “What is all this hullabaloo?”

  • humdinger

    noun · medium

    Something unusually impressive, remarkable, or difficult.

    “The host read out humdinger during the absurd-word round, and half the room asked to hear it again.”

  • kakistocracy

    noun · hard

    Government by the least qualified or most corrupt people.

    “Nobody expected kakistocracy to become the most memorable word of the absurd-word round.”

  • kerfuffle

    noun · medium

    A commotion or fuss.

    “There was a kerfuffle at the buffet.”

  • lickspittle

    noun · hard

    A person who flatters powerful people in a servile way.

    “The group had heard lickspittle before the absurd-word round, but nobody trusted the spelling.”

  • lollygag

    verb · medium

    To dawdle or waste time.

    “Stop lollygagging by the snacks.”

  • malarkey

    noun · medium

    Foolish or insincere talk.

    “That definition you invented is pure malarkey.”

  • mooncalf

    noun · medium

    A foolish, awkward, or simple-minded person.

    “Someone used mooncalf correctly during the absurd-word round, then immediately second-guessed the spelling.”

  • mumpsimus

    noun · hard

    A stubbornly held error or the person who holds it.

    “He is a mumpsimus about that extra letter and always will be.”

  • nincompoop

    noun · medium

    A silly or foolish person.

    “Absolute nincompoop energy.”

  • ninnyhammer

    noun · hard

    An old-fashioned word for a foolish or silly person.

    “The absurd-word round somehow ended with everyone talking about ninnyhammer.”

  • noggin

    noun · easy

    A person's head.

    “Use your noggin, the second N is right there.”

  • persnickety

    adjective · medium

    Fussy about small details.

    “He is persnickety about ice.”

  • pettifogger

    noun · hard

    A person who quibbles over trivial details.

    “A true pettifogger contests every letter after the buzzer.”

  • piffle

    noun · medium

    Nonsense talk.

    “His excuse was pure piffle and the room knew it.”

  • poppycock

    noun · medium

    Complete nonsense.

    “Poppycock, you absolutely did not know that one.”

  • quomodocunquize

    verb · hard

    To make money by any possible means.

    “The absurd-word round table recognized quomodocunquize instantly and still could not agree on the spelling.”

  • ragamuffin

    noun · medium

    A person, especially a child, wearing dirty or ragged clothes.

    “The room knew exactly what ragamuffin meant during the absurd-word round and still hesitated on the spelling.”

  • rigmarole

    noun · medium

    A long, complicated, pointless procedure.

    “The whole rigmarole fell apart at the second syllable.”

  • scallywag

    noun · medium

    A mischievous or roguish person.

    “The room knew exactly what scallywag meant during the absurd-word round and still hesitated on the spelling.”

  • sesquipedalian

    adjective · hard

    Using long, obscure words.

    “Very sesquipedalian of you to request harder words and then this.”

  • shenanigans

    noun · medium

    Mischievous or questionable activity.

    “There will be shenanigans if the scorekeeper keeps cheating.”

  • skedaddle

    verb · easy

    To run away quickly.

    “He tried to skedaddle before his turn came up.”

  • skulduggery

    noun · hard

    Underhanded or dishonest behavior.

    “There was skulduggery afoot near the answer cards.”

  • slubberdegullion

    noun · hard

    A slovenly, worthless person.

    “Only a slubberdegullion leaves before the final round.”

  • snazzy

    adjective · easy

    Stylish and attention-grabbing.

    “That snazzy outfit will not spell the word for you.”

  • snickersnee

    noun · hard

    A large knife used as a weapon.

    “She cut through that word like a snickersnee through butter.”

  • snollygoster

    noun · hard

    A shrewd unprincipled person.

    “That politician is a snollygoster.”

  • taradiddle

    noun · hard

    A small lie or pretentious nonsense.

    “His story about studying was a classic taradiddle.”

  • thingamajig

    noun · medium

    An informal name for an object whose proper name is unknown or forgotten.

    “As soon as thingamajig appeared in the absurd-word round, everyone started silently counting letters.”

  • tintinnabulation

    noun · hard

    The ringing sound of bells.

    “The victory bell's tintinnabulation haunts the losers.”

  • tomfoolery

    noun · medium

    Silly or foolish behavior.

    “This round of tomfoolery is brought to you by round three of drinks.”

  • ultracrepidarian

    noun · hard

    A person who gives opinions on subjects they know little about.

    “The absurd-word round somehow ended with everyone talking about ultracrepidarian.”

  • wackadoodle

    noun · medium

    A wildly eccentric, ridiculous, or foolish person.

    “Someone confidently said wackadoodle in the absurd-word round and immediately got challenged on the spelling.”

  • whippersnapper

    noun · medium

    A young person who is overconfident.

    “Some whippersnapper just outspelled the family champion.”

  • whirligig

    noun · medium

    A spinning toy or anything that whirls.

    “His brain became a whirligig at the second G.”

  • widdershins

    adverb · hard

    In a direction contrary to the sun's course.

    “The game went widdershins the moment he grabbed the mic.”

  • zonked

    adjective · easy

    Completely exhausted.

    “She was too zonked to remember her own middle name.”

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