Definition

A playful mistake where the sounds of two words are swapped, often creating a funny or silly phrase.

Example

He made a spoonerism when he said, 'You have hissed all my mystery lectures' instead of 'You have missed all my history lectures.'

Conversation

Have you ever heard of a spoonerism?

Yeah, it's when you mix up the sounds of words, right?

Exactly! It can be really funny when you accidentally say something silly like that.

I love it when people do that; it always makes me laugh!

Synonyms & Antonyms

Root Explanation

Spoonerism → The term is derived from the name of Reverend William Archibald Spooner, who was known for making unintentional errors in speech, particularly by swapping the initial sounds of words. The word itself does not have traditional Latin or Greek roots but is a proper noun that has become a common term in English to describe this specific type of verbal mistake.

Memory Tip

Think of Reverend Spooner, who famously mixed up sounds in his speech, helping you remember that a spoonerism is when sounds or letters are swapped in phrases.

Visually Confused Words