Over the years there have been countless playful surveys of the most beautiful-sounding words in English. Perennial favorites include lullaby, gossamer, murmuring, luminous, Aurora Borealis, and velvet. But not all recommendations have been so predictable--or so obviously euphonious. . . .
For the complete article, see Beautiful Words: Competitions and Composition.
Comments
I’ll never forget the first time I heard this line from Coleridge’s ‘Rime of the Ancient Mariner’: ‘Her skin was as white as leprosy.’
At the time I had no idea what leprosy was, but there was no doubt that this was the most beautiful sounding word I’d ever heard.
My favorites are fontanel and chlamydia.
For me, the most beautiful word is, “Opalescent.” The image it evokes is lustrous and tinged with mystery.
My favorite beautiful word is terpsichorean. Start it in soft voice, caressing the t and it flows appropriately for its meaning.
My favorite for mouth feel is, well, are lump pamphlet.
I suggest Iridescent or Evanescence
I don’t know why but for me qualities like are the most beautiful there is something intangible and tantalising about them.
“You’re hired.” I also like the sound of effervescence.
I enjoyed that excercise very much.
In Elysium, I walked the marbled halls of Linoleum,
dreaming of halycion days of yore.
Alas, that time forever gone;
Linoleum is no more.
- Mike Hayward
In Elysium fields, I walked the marbled halls of Linoleum
In King Halycion days of yore.
Alas, only memory remains;
Linoleum is no more.
– Mike Hayward
love is beautiful and beautiful is beautiful
I nominate diarrhea. It trips off the tongue and hardly touches it.
serendipity
I had a high school English teacher who said that cherish was her favorite word since the sibilance of the final syllable made word sound like it in never ended: “cherishhhhhhhhhh…
I said I felt the same way about flushhhhhhhh….
It seems to me that a pretty high proportion of these words are ones that have been lifted directly from another (Romance) language, or at least had their direct roots in a foreign word and haven’t been very much changed in being imported into English.
Stream,dawn,fresh,cool,lavender,mint,wind,lake,blue,aroma……
The first time I heard the word PULCHRITUDE,I tripped,
Cerulean conjures up a very balmy picture.
Onomatopoeia!
Now that’s a word!
This is a good execise or test for those who are involved in writing fiction/ poetry.It is the matter of indivdual aesthetics and sense of social values.
In my opinion the most beautiful words are : Aroma , Ethos and Ambience.
Thank you for the very informative and interesting discussion.