The Punch ran an article recently about words that were loved. You can read the article here: “Fizzy”, “Gusto”, “Disco” And Other Words We Love.

Some of the words listed in the article are terrific. I love “discombobulate”, “lascivious” and “deplane”. The reason is because these words sound like they mean. Not so much in the onomatopoeic sense a la “sizzle” but more so in the mood and tone of the word. My English teacher would be proud that I actually remembered the concept of onomatopoeia since I never paid much attention in English class at school.

Being a bit of a wordsmith and now loving word play, I thought I would join in and add to the list. Some of my favourites are:

Castigate – the word just sounds punitive.

Pizzaz – dazzling style, flamboyance, flair. Vigorous spirit; energy or excitement. All conveyed by six simple letters.

Panache – a flamboyant word imported from one of the most flamboyant of languages, French. Ooh La La!

Ruminate – let’s chew the cud fat over something that we think deeply about. To me, this is such a slow, deliberate word.

Serendipity – a happy, light, happenstance (another good one!!) kind of word. My absolute favourite and one that I love dropping into conversation.

Stupendous – an extremely impressive and marvellously clever word. It means the opposite of what it starts out to be.

Tempest – sounds harsh and violent, like the storm it depicts.

Vacillate – the word by the sound alone sounds indecisive.

Whimsy – playful and quaint and well… whimsical!

Do you have any favourites? What words float your creative boat?