paronomasia
Playing on homophones
Paronomasia is the technical term for a pun—a play on words that exploits multiple meanings or similar-sounding words for humorous or rhetorical effect.
The word appears mainly in literary criticism and rhetoric textbooks; in ordinary speech, people just say pun: The essay analyzed Shakespeare's use of paronomasia.
Wordplay practitioner
- groanerJoke inducing sighs
- one-linerBrief standalone joke
- punchlineHumor's final delivery
- witticismClever, amusing remark
zinger · rib-tickler · dad joke · knee-slapper · pundit · equivoque · clinch · quibble
Clever, inventive humor
- jokeHumorous statement seeking laughter
- jestHumorous remark or act
- quipBrief, clever remark
- gagMouth restraint or jest
banter · repartee · wisecrack · jape · drollery · facetiousness · jocularity · levity
Openness to multiple interpretations
- equivocationAmbiguous language avoiding commitment
- polysemyWord having related meanings
- innuendoOblique disparaging remark
- subtextImplicit meaning beneath words
Reshuffled letter word
- palindromeReversible letter sequence
- spoonerismAccidental sound transposition
- malapropismSound-alike word confusion
- portmanteauWord combining two others
acrostic · homophone · homograph · homonym · double entendre · zeugma
Clue-based letter grid
- crypticObscure in meaning
- charadeAbsurd or obvious pretense
- tongue-twisterPhrase difficult to articulate quickly
- riddlePuzzling question to solve
Non-literal linguistic expressions
- tropeRecurring narrative device
- schemeCalculated strategy, often secretive
- oratoryFormal eloquent discourse
- elocutionFormal speaking skill
stylistics · literary device · turn of phrase · wordcraft · eloquence · locution · expression · diction
punster
Wordplay practitioner
witticism · zinger · rib-tickler · dad joke · knee-slapper · pundit · equivoque · clinch · quibble
wit
Clever, inventive humor
gag · banter · repartee · wisecrack · jape · drollery · facetiousness · jocularity · levity · mirth
ambiguity
Openness to multiple interpretations
- equivocationAmbiguous language avoiding commitment
- polysemyWord having related meanings
- innuendoOblique disparaging remark
subtext · multivalence · ambivalence · connotation · suggestiveness
anagram
Reshuffled letter word
- palindromeReversible letter sequence
- spoonerismAccidental sound transposition
- malapropismSound-alike word confusion
portmanteau · acrostic · homophone · homograph · homonym · double entendre · zeugma
crossword
Clue-based letter grid
- crypticObscure in meaning
- charadeAbsurd or obvious pretense
- tongue-twisterPhrase difficult to articulate quickly
riddle · rebus · conundrum · word puzzle · brain teaser
figures of speech
Non-literal linguistic expressions
- tropeRecurring narrative device
- schemeCalculated strategy, often secretive
- oratoryFormal eloquent discourse
elocution · stylistics · literary device · turn of phrase · wordcraft · eloquence · locution · expression · diction · phraseology