Some 12-letter "repeaters" are ANGANG-ANGANG (a type of Javanese gong), and ANTINGANTING (a Philippine charm or amulet), CADANG-CADANG (blight of coconut trees), CHIQUICHIQUI (a South American palm), DOUBLE-DOUBLE (MWCD11), KILLEEKILLEE (W2), TANGANTANGAN (the castor oil plant), THIRTY-THIRTY, TRETRETRETRE (the name Malagasy oral tradition gives to a now extinct giant lemur Megaladapis edwardsi), TWENTY-TWENTY. Charles Turner found an alternate spelling for one of these words in Discover magazine, March 2005: "They also hunted the native megafauna to extinction centuries ago, including the tratratratra, a gorilla-sized lemur that weighed up to 400 pounds..."
Some 10-letter "repeaters" are BELLABELLA (a native of western Canada), BLING BLING (used to describe diamonds, jewelry and all forms of showy style), BUDDY-BUDDY, CHIMACHIMA (a South American hawk), CHINACHINA, FIFTY-FIFTY, GIRLY-GIRLY, GOODY-GOODY, HUBBA-HUBBA, ILANG-ILANG (var. spelling of YLANG-YLANG), KERRIKERRI (W2), LINKS-LINKS, NGORONGORO (an extinct volcanic crater in Tanzania), QUINAQUINA (quinine tree), RONGORONGO (the hieroglyphic script of Easter Island), SHABU-SHABU (MWCD11), STRUMSTRUM (a crude musical instrument, W3), WALLAWALLA (natives of the Pacific Northwest), YLANG-YLANG (MWCD11).
A 9-letter "repeater" is TAT-TAT-TAT.
Some 8-letter "repeaters" are AGAR AGAR, ALLAALLA (Hausa), ARRAARRA (U. S. Indian tribe), BANG-BANG, BERIBERI, BLAH-BLAH, CARACARA, CHEE-CHEE, CHIN-CHIN, CHOP-CHOP, CHOWCHOW, CLOP-CLOP, COROCORO, COUSCOUS, DIVIDIVI (tropical American tree), FROUFROU, GANGGANG, GREEGREE, GRISGRIS (African amulet), GUITGUIT, HOTSHOTS, HULA-HULA, HUSH-HUSH, IPILIPIL, KAVAKAVA, KAWAKAWA, KEEK-KEEK (OED), and KHOIKHOI, KHUSKHUS (Indian grass), KINAKINA, KLOP-KLOP, KOHEKOHE, KOUSKOUS, KUKUKUKU (the name of a people in eastern New Guinea), LAPULAPU, LAVALAVA, LOMILOMI (Hawaiian massage), LOSE-LOSE, MAHIMAHI (Hawaiian fish), MAKOMAKO (New Zealand wine berry), MATAMATA, MURUMURU, NONENONE (a chemical with a nine-carbon chain), and OTTOOTTO (8-8 time in music), PALAPALA (Hawaiian cuneiform writing), PEEPPEEP (OED), PIOUPIOU (French foot soldier), PIRIPIRI, POOH-POOH, POROPORO, PUTT-PUTT, QUIAQUIA (the round scad or cigarfish; a tortoise shell rattle), REWAREWA (New Zealand tree), RIRORIRO, SING SING, SWEESWEE (North American bird), TICKTICK, TIKITIKI (used to treat beriberi), TOOTTOOT (OED), TUCOTUCO, TUKUTUKU, WHO'S WHOS (plural of who's who, which is in MWCD11), WILIWILI, YARIYARI (lancewoods), ZERO-ZERO.
Some 6-letter "repeaters" are ACK-ACK, AKEAKE, ATLATL, AYE-AYE, BEEBEE, BERBER, BONBON, BOOBOO, BOUBOU, BULBUL BYE-BYE, CANCAN, CHA-CHA, CHICHI, CHOCHO, COOCOO, CUSCUS, DIG-DIG, DIKDIK, DOO-DOO, DUGDUG, DUMDUM, FURFUR, GEE-GEE, GOM-GOM, GOO-GOO, GRIGRI, GRUGRU, GUM-GUM, HEE-HEE, HESHES, HUMHUM, IHI'IHI, JIGJIG, KAIKAI, KAKKAK, KASKAS, KIEKIE, KUMKUM, LABLAB, LOGLOG, MAM-MAM, MAU MAU, MOTMOT, MULMUL, MURMUR, MUUMUU, NAGNAG, NAN-NAN, ONE-ONE, PALPAL, PAWPAW, PERPER, PIIPII, PIPIPI, PIP-PIP, PITPIT, PIUPIU, POMPOM, PUT-PUT, RAH-RAH, SAPSAP, SARSAR, SEMSEM, SESSES, TAM-TAM, TARTAR, TAT-TAT, TESTES, TOATOA, TOETOE, TOITOI, TOM-TOM, TOO-TOO, TSETSE, TSKTSK, TUK-TUK, TUMTUM, TUT-TUT, TZATZA, TZETZE, ULAULA, VALVAL, VERVER, WAH-WAH, WAW-WAW, WEEWEE, WIN-WIN, YUM-YUM, ZOOZOO.
Some 4-letter "repeaters" are BABA, BY-BY, CACA, COCO, DADA, DODO, GAGA, GO-GO, HA-HA, HE-HE, HEHE, ISIS, JUJU, KAKA, KOKO, KUKU, LULU, MAMA, MEME, NANA, NENE, NO-NO, PAPA, PIPI, PUPU, RO-RO, SO-SO, SUSU, TETE, TITI, TOTO, TUTU, UH-UH, YO-YO.
Place names with this property include: AKA AKA (rural district near Auckland, New Zealand), BADEN-BADEN (in Germany), BELLA BELLA (coastal town in British Columbia, Canada), BIO-BIO (river in Chile), BOBO-Dioulasso (a town in Burkina Faso), BORA BORA (an island in French Polynesia), BUBUBUBU (a stream in the Democratic Republic of the Congo), BUDGE BUDGE (a suburb of Calcutta), DUM DUM (another suburb of Calcutta), FOFO FOFO (a town in Papua), GOONOO GOONOO (Australia), GRONG GRONG (a town in Australia), ILOILO (city in Philippines), KATIKATI (city in New Zealand), KIRAKIRA (Solomon Islands), KOKO Nor (a lake in China), KURRI KURRI (Australia), LOMALOMA (Fiji), MITTA MITTA(Australia), NENGONENGO (Fr. Polynesia), NGORO NGORO (a crater in Tanzania), PAGO PAGO (Am. Samoa), PAOPAO (Fr. Polynesia), PUAPUA (W. Samoa), PUEPUE (Solomon Islands), PUKAPUKA (Cook Islands), PUYOY-PUYOY (a river in the Phillipines), QWAQWA (a national state or non-independent black homeland in South Africa), RABA RABA (Papua New Guinea), REKAREKA (Fr. Polynesia), SAVUSAVU (Fiji), SOMOSOMO (Fiji), WALLA WALLA (U. S.), WALLAN WALLAN (Australia), WAGGA WAGGA (Australia), and WOY WOY (Australia).
John LYLY was a British author. Mobutu SESE Seko is a former president of Zaire. FUIFUI MOIMOI plays for Parramatta in the National Rugby League in Australia. LANG LANG is a concert pianist.
Brian Fone writes, "I noted in a quick glance through part of the word oddities site that there were two names of Australian towns i.e. Wagga Wagga and Grong Grong. I have lived or worked in both places. I also lived 10 miles from the town of Kurri Kurri in New South Wales As a matter of interest these names are of Australian Aboriginal derivation and I am told that the doubling of the names means that the subject is multiple -- so that Wagga Wagga means 'place of many crows' and Kurri is a kookaburra-- hence.... Grong Grong means 'poor camping ground' and is an exception it seems to the doubling. There is a Mitta Mitta too, 'little waters,' a Walla Walla 'lots of rain' and Wallan Wallan 'circular ground covered with rain water.' And there is also Goonoo Goonoo 'plenty of water."
Roger Fenton writes, "As you know, this is common means of word formation in Polynesian languages, as an intensifier, pluraliser, or to create related words. My favourite one is WHAKAKAKAKAKA. It's made up of whaka-, which is a verbalising or adjectivising prefix, plus the reduplicated kakakaka. Kaka means (among other things) a single hair, or a major line in a Maori tattoo pattern (moko). Reduplicated to kakakaka it means multiple hairs or lines or stripes or streaks. This gives WHAKAKAKAKAKA, meaning covered with irregular short stripes or streaks. Theoretically, kaka could itself be a reduplicated ka, but I don't know of any meaning of ka which would lend itself to that possibliity. (The 'wh' digraph is often pronounced as English 'f', but more correctly it's like a voiceless version of the initial sound of English 'who')."
[The section on repeaters was contributed to by Stuart Kidd, Chris Cole, Jim Lizzi, Milos Chlouba, Juozas Rimas, Mark L. Oxner, Byron Davidson, Pierre Abbat, Jason Leith, Fast Eddie, Mark Milam, John Haddad, Martin Cregg-Guinan, Jeremy Ardley, Willis Johnson, Ivan Zlatarski, Charles Turner, Wojciech Dragan, David Weston, Eric Brahinsky, Paul Wright, Jodi Wade, and Brian Fone].
There are many scientific names for which the genus and species are the same; these are called tautonyms. The shortest of these is Loa loa (a species of nematode worm). Long ones are Coccothraustes coccothraustes (the hawfinch) and Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus (the yellow-headed blackbird). Some have a third, subspecies, name as well, ranging from Bufo bufo bufo (the European toad) and Naja naja naja (Sri Lankan cobra) to Crossoptilon crossoptilon crossoptilon (the Szechuan white-eared pheasant) [Susan Thorpe, Stuart Kidd, Charles Turner]. According to Charles Turner, the North American Plains or Prairie bison is Bison (Bison) bison bison; the genus, subgenus, species, and sub-species are all the same word.
According to Oscar van Vlijmen, repetition is the normal procedure to form plurals of substantives in the Indonesian language. For example, orang = man, orang orang = men.
Some words containing a sequence of letters repeated are: UNUNUNIUM (provisional name for Element 111), the name LEKKERKERKER, Mohottiwatte GUNANANA (a Buddhist High Priest in the late 1800s), and ZENZIZENZIZENZIC (explained elsewhere on this page) [Pierre Abbat, Dan Tilque, Byron Davidson, James E. F. Landau, Juozas Rimas].
AIUOLE, which is the plural of aiuola (flower bed), is the shortest word with all five vowels. Some long words with all 5 vowels are CONTRAPPUNTISTE (contrapuntists) and AUTORIPARAZIONE.
EUFORIA (euphoria) is a short word with five vowels. MYCOBACTERIUM (mycobacterium) is a short word with the six vowels with no repeats.
AUTORIMESSA (garage) has the five vowels in reverse order.
The longest word with no letter repeating is FUNAMBOLESCHI (about funambolists).
INDIVISIBILI (unsplittable) has 6 I's and no other vowels. INDIVISIBILISSIMI (very unsplittable) has 8 I's and no other vowels.
EFFERVESCENTEMENTE (sparklingly) has 7 E's. PRECEDENTEMENTE (precedingly) and ECCELLENTEMENTE (excellently) have 6 E's.
CALAFATATA (caulked) has 5 A's. Other words with 5 A's are ASSATANATA (possessed by the devil), ACCAVALLATA (crossed), SANTABARBARA (powder-magazine), and ACCALAPPIACANI (dog hunters).
The word with the most O's is CONTROPROPONGONO (they counter-propose).
The word with the most U's is CUSCUSSU' or URUBU' (cous-cous and a kind of condor), but HUMULUS LUPPULUS is the Latin scientific name of a plant.
PRECIPITEVOLISSIMEVOLMENTE (as fast as you can) is a word created in 1677 and is traditionally considered the longest word in Italian. Michele Comerci describes it as "quite artificial" but writes that after more than three centuries it's hard to say that is wrong.
SOVRAMAGNIFICENTISSIMAMENTE (in a very very very magnificent way, 27 letters) was used by Dante in "De vulgari eloquentia" in the 14th century but is unknown now.
Chemical names and numbers can be even longer words. In Italian, 444,444 is quattrocentoquarantaquattromilaquattrocentoquarantaquattro and has 58 letters).
ANTICOSTITUZIONALMENTE (anticonstitutionally) is desribed as the longest Italian word in common use.
Other long words:
22 letters: ELETTROENCEFALOGRAFICO, OTORINOLARINGOIATRICHE (about the diseases of ear, nose and throat), INTERNAZIONALIZZAZIONE (internationalization).
23 letters: ELETTROENCEFALOGRAFICHE (-grafico is male-singular, -grafiche is female-plural)
24 letters: INTERNAZIONALIZZEREBBERO (they would internationalize)
26 letters: CONTRORIVOLUZIONARIAMENTE (in counter-revolutionary way) ANTICOSTITUZIONALISSIMAMENTE (very anticostitutionally) has 28 letters but sounds "artificial" (but it's formally correct).
DESALINIFICATO (desalinized) has a succession of seven consonant-vowel groups as does VASODILATATORE (blood-vessel-delater).
The last words in the dictionary are ZWINGLISTA (a follower of Zwingli), ZZZ (sound of sleeping or sound made by the mosquito fly, or sound made by a saw, and ZUZZURULLONE (or ZUZZURELLONE) (playful person).
SOQQUADRO (terrible mess) is sometimes considered the only word with a double Q, although dictionaries have ZIQQURAT (another way to write Ziggurat, the Babel tower).
PALLETTIZZASSE (if he put on pallets) has four double letters.
Some words with three double letters include ATTACCAPANNI (hatstand), PASTA CAPPELLETTI (a kind of pasta), ARROCCHETTATO, ATTACCHEREBBE (he would attack), PASSEGGIASSE (if he walks), ACCATTONAGGIO (begging).
SCIOCCHEZZA (silliness, or a silly thing) has only 3 syllables and 11 letters.
The palindrome ONORARONO (they honoured) has 9 letters. ANILINA (aniline) and INGEGNI (ingenuities) have 7 letters.
CUOIAIO (leather craftsman) has 6 vowels in a row).
GHIACCIO (ice) has 8 letters and only two syllables. Some other such words are CHIOSTRO (cloister), CHIOCCIA (brooding hen), SCIOCCHI (dumb, plural-m), SCIOCCHE (dumb, plural-f), SCHIANTO (shock), and STRONCHI (like "you revile" or "you criticize").
SCHIOCCHI (snaps) has 9 letters and two syllables. Some other such words are the surname CHIOCCHIO (spread mostly in the south), SGHIACCIO (I unfreeze), SGHIACCIA (he/she/it unfreezes), SCHIACCIO (I squeeze), and SCHIACCIA (he/she/it squeezes).
There are 5 A's in AGAMMAGLOBULINAEMIA (blood disorder). There are 5 C's in APPICCICATICCIO (sticky). There are 5 O's in SOTTOPRODOTTO (waste product). There are 3 U's in URUGUAI (Uruguay).
The following sentence consists almost exclusively of vowels in the dialect of La Spezia (spezzino): "Aiei i ea eio aoa i e eio e aigoa" (Yesterday it was oil now it is oil and water). Mark Brader suggests improving this sentence by adding a conjunction: "Aiei i ea eio e aoa i e eio e aigoa" (Yesterday it was oil and now it is oil and water).