wordplay
Puns and anagrams
Wordplay is clever manipulation of language for humorous or rhetorical effect—puns, double meanings, anagrams, or other linguistic tricks.
It exploits the gaps between sound and sense, or the multiple meanings words can carry: The sign at the optometrist read "Site for Sore Eyes".
Writers use wordplay to amuse, to sharpen wit, or to pack extra meaning into a phrase.
Quick, clever conversation
- quipBrief, clever remark
- wisecrackFlippant clever remark
- comebackRecovery after decline
- retortQuick, cutting reply
bon-mot · epigram · riposte · one-liner · zinger · sally · aperçu · cleverness
Rhetorical use of puns
- double-entendreWords with suggestive second meaning
- homophoneIdentically pronounced, differently spelled word
- malapropismSound-alike word confusion
- spoonerismAccidental sound transposition
ambiguity · polysemy · equivocation · zeugma · innuendo · homonym · homograph · lexical
Matching initial consonants
- assonanceVowel sound repetition
- consonanceHarmonious sound combination
- onomatopoeiaSound-imitating word formation
- chiasmusInverted parallel construction
oxymoron · antithesis · hyperbole · litotes · synecdoche · metonymy · euphemism · dysphemism
Satirical imitation
- ironyMeaning opposite to words
- lampoonHarsh public mockery
- spoofComic exaggerated imitation
- caricatureExaggerated comic depiction
burlesque · pastiche · send-up · mock · travesty · sarcasm · tongue-in-cheek · deadpan
Something hard to fathom
- conundrumPerplexing problem or question
- puzzleChallenge testing ingenuity
- brainteaserPuzzle demanding clever thought
- crypticObscure in meaning
clue · mystery · cipher · charade · sphinx · guesswork · crossword · acrostic
Reversible letter sequence
- acrosticVertically spelled hidden message
- rearrangeAlter the sequence
- scrambleMix into disorder
- jumbleConfused disorderly collection
cryptogram · pangram · isogram · ambigram · rebus · logogram · transposition
Mock playfully
- ribbingAffectionate verbal teasing
- joshingPlayful mocking
- railleryHumorous, affectionate teasing
- badinagePlayful, teasing conversation
persiflage · chaff · jesting · pleasantry · jibe · sparring · back-and-forth · roast
repartee
Quick, clever conversation
retort · bon-mot · epigram · riposte · one-liner · zinger · sally · aperçu · cleverness · quick-witted
paronomasia
Rhetorical use of puns
- double-entendreWords with suggestive second meaning
- homophoneIdentically pronounced, differently spelled word
- malapropismSound-alike word confusion
spoonerism · ambiguity · polysemy · equivocation · zeugma · innuendo · homonym · homograph · lexical · semantic
alliteration
Matching initial consonants
- assonanceVowel sound repetition
- consonanceHarmonious sound combination
- onomatopoeiaSound-imitating word formation
chiasmus · oxymoron · antithesis · hyperbole · litotes · synecdoche · metonymy · euphemism · dysphemism · kenning
parody
Satirical imitation
caricature · burlesque · pastiche · send-up · mock · travesty · sarcasm · tongue-in-cheek · deadpan · facetiousness
enigma
Something hard to fathom
- conundrumPerplexing problem or question
- puzzleChallenge testing ingenuity
- brainteaserPuzzle demanding clever thought
cryptic · clue · mystery · cipher · charade · sphinx · guesswork · crossword · acrostic · rebuses
palindrome
Reversible letter sequence
jumble · cryptogram · pangram · isogram · ambigram · rebus · logogram · transposition
tease
Mock playfully
badinage · persiflage · chaff · jesting · pleasantry · jibe · sparring · back-and-forth · roast · snark
- comedycomedy, jokes, humor, puns, sarcasm
- Hip-Hoprapper, rappers, rhymes, beat, lyrics
- comedy termsjokes, puns, wit, sarcasm, irony
- comic humorpunchlines, visual puns, comic timing, one-liners, zingers
- Word Lover Topicspuns, anagrams, crosswords, vocabulary, scrabble
- literary devicesmetaphor, simile, hyperbole, personification, alliteration
wordplayplain speech
Unembellished verbal expression
straight talk · denotation · literalism · literal meaning · plain English
wordplayinformative speech
Presentation conveying knowledge
technical language · technical writing · reportage · legalese · boilerplate