I know I usually save up all of my random links for my weekly del.icio.us posts, but this one is just too cool. It’s a flash program that displays over 80,000 English words, in order from most used to least used. The way it dynamically scrolls through the list reminds me a lot of the Baby Name Wizard I wrote about previously.
I had a lot of fun typing in random words to see where they fell in the scale. After I had played around with it for a little bit using common words, I started trying to think of the most obscure word I knew to see how close to the bottom of the scale I could get. After trying lots of unusual words (but without using a dictionary, trying only words that I actually knew), the best word I could come up with that might actually be used in a normal conversation was “attestation”, which ranked 73,132. As far as technical or scientific words go, the best I could do was “zooxanthellae” (a type of algae that lives inside corals), which ranked 83,108.
I tried with ‘borborygmous’ and didn’t even rate on the scale… what gives!?!? (YES, it’s a REAL word - one of our spelling/vocabulary words my 9th grade English teacher Mr. Byson gave us one week - it’s stuck in my mind ever since).
I tried again with ‘decrescendo’ and that wasn’t there either (another Byson word)…
Do I win? ;) Crescendo ranked in the 28k range though.
One thing about Mr. Byson - you remembered his vocab words .. AND how to spell them. hehehe
Comment by Carrie — October 1, 2005 @ 12:10 am
Let me just say that Joy is a much more popular word than Brad! Love, your wife :)
Comment by Joy — October 1, 2005 @ 5:47 pm
Carrie,
There are lots of words that aren’t in the list. That’s part of the challenge. You have to find something that actually makes the list, yet is uncommon enough to be near the very bottom. “Borborygmus” is a really strange word, but in looking it up I noticed that it ends “mus” instead of “mous” as you had it (though neither spelling makes the list at WordCount). However, you still get points in my book for coming up with a word I’ve never heard before in my life.
Comment by Brad — October 1, 2005 @ 10:31 pm
Well, you remember how to spell them when you’re not on percocet for going against doctor’s orders and eating grease & tabasco. ;) Now I’m going to have to think of something else. So I was a bonehead… wouldn’t be the first time. hehe
Comment by Carrie — October 1, 2005 @ 10:56 pm
Oh… and who wouldn’t want to use the word Joy?? ;) Joy is a HAPPY word. Not many people talk about those little brass doohickey thingies that hold things together… I think they’re called “brads”. *grin*
Comment by Carrie — October 1, 2005 @ 10:58 pm