Fear Of Long Words

Fear of long words

The fear of long words is literally the hippopotamus- and monster-related fear of very long words. Also known as Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia, seems like a cruel trick to the person plagued with this crippling phobia!

A therapist can  help you learn if the fear of long words is rooted in self-esteem issues. This can be important  because treating a symptom of fear is much less effective than treating the source of the fear.This fear of long words may be rooted in a lack of education. It is possible that family members would skip over large words when you were a child leading the sufferer to believe that these words should be avoided all together. It can be embarrassing to say the least to be faced with reading a long word in front of people only to realize you don’t know the word and are likely mispronouncing it.

Many people with Sesquipedalophobia (the clinical term for the phobia) may also feel uncomfortable and possibly pass on fine dining with friends, co-workers and even family members in elegant or ethnic restaurants in an attempt to avoid pronouncing complicated and uncommon entries names. They may also struggle to be around individuals who use long words in their speech and they  find it uncomfortable to interact with people of other cultures because they often can not understand what is being said.  This leads many to a sense of isolation and depression.

Known by a number of names – Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia, Sesquipedalophobia, and Fear of Long Words being the most common – this problem can often significantly impact the quality of a persons life.

Some more common symptoms associated with the fear of long words (Sesquipedalophobia) are ~ heart palpitations, breathlessness,a fear of dying, feeling sick, excessive sweating, feeling of nausea, dry mouth, shaking, inability to speak or think clearly,  becoming mad or losing control, a sensation of detachment from reality or even as severe as a  full blown anxiety attack!

Many writers are now told to try writing at a grade school level to appeal to the average reader. They are told to use words that are no longer than a few syllables long. The reason has to do with ease of reading and allowing the reader to avoid an embarrassing situation if they are reading out loud or even a bed time story.

Sometimes getting a little more information about these fear provoking words can help. Luckily now a days there are many online dictionaries! Most even provide an audio pronunciation of the word along with a general meaning. Many people are turning to online dictionaries. They are a great tool in learning more about the things they are interested in while remaining in the comfort and privacy of their office or home.

If you are struggling with the fear of words there is a help you can get. I have researched Jan Heerings program for curing phobias in just 10 minutes a day Click Here to read about his programto help cure your fear of words.

http://www.fearoflongwords.com/phobia