A study looking at more than 55,000 pairs of words has found why word pairings like “funk fungus” and “gnome bone” seem to be more amusing than their constituent parts
Humans
13 May 2022
Some pairs of words are funnier than others Shutterstock / fizkes
On their own there is nothing particularly funny about the words “gnome” and “bone”, but put them together and it is a different story. According to a study, pairings such as “gnome bone”, make people laugh.
Cynthia S. Q. Siew at the National University of Singapore and her colleagues generated random word pairings using a list of around 5000 words previously studied for their humour or lack thereof. …
Existing subscribers, please log in with your email address to link your account access.
Paid quarterly
Inclusive of applicable taxes (VAT)