Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia, phobias of long words, real?

[Admin]

There is such a thing as a fear of long words which is called, Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia. Its not made up, its real!

The strange thing is that the phobia description is one of the longest words I have ever seen - how do you even pronounce Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia?

In what situations might this phobia effect you:-

- Meetings
- Interviews for jobs
- Video meetings such as Zoom/Google Meet
- Phone calls (probaby not so much as you cant see each other)

Do you suffer from Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia?

Note: This is officially classed as an anxiety disorder

 

[Fightingback]

I have heard of Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia before but I thought it was a joke. However, I googled it and a phobia of long words is a recognised condition.

This article is very interesting:-

https://www.thehealthboard.com/what-is-hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia.htm

It confirms that those who suffer from Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia feel exactly the same symptoms as those who suffer from any other type of phobia. These include:-

• Shortness of breath
• Rapid heartbeat
• Nausea

One thing that annoys me is the fact that many people laugh at such phobias but they wouldn’t laugh if someone broke a leg or had a physical injury.

 

[Getting_There]

I dont think it helps that they use the longest phobia word to describe a fear of long words - kind of makes a mockery of the phobia.

 

[Helprequired]

Is this a joke or for real?

 

[Admin]

This is a real fear, one which is covered in more detail here:-

Do You Have a Fear of Long Words?

The fear of long words is ironic, as the name is ridiculously long. What gives?

health.howstuffworks.com

 

[Anxietysufferer]

This sounds like a bit of a joke to me, having the longest phobia name for people who have a phobia of long words......strange world we live in,