AFTERCATARACTS (plural for a condition that sometimes follows cataract surgery), TESSERADECADES and TETRASTEARATES are the longest words which can be typed using only the fingers of the left hand. The first word appears in a Merriam-Webster medical dictionary; the second is in W2. Other such words (some of which are not in dictionaries) are ABSTRACTERS, ABSTRACTEST, AFTEREFFECT, AFTEREFFECTS, AFTERTASTES, AFTERWARDS, ASSEVERATED, ASSEVERATES, BEGGARWEEDS, CASEBEARERS, CRABGRASSES, DATABASES, DECEREBRATE, DECEREBRATED, DECEREBRATES, DESECRATERS, DESEGREGATE, DESEGREGATED, DESEGREGATES, DETARTRATED, DEVERTEBRATED, EFFERVESCED, EFFERVESCES, EXTRAVASATES, GAZETTEER, READDRESSED, READDRESSES, REAGGRAVATES, REASSEVERATE, RESEGREGATE, RESEGREGATED, RESEGREGATES, REVEGETATED, REVEGETATES, REVERBERATE, REVERBERATED, REVERBERATES, SASSAFRASES, STAGECRAFTS, STATECRAFTS, STAVESACRES, STEWARDESSES, SWEATERDRESSES, SWEETBREADS, TERRACEWARDS, TRADECRAFTS, VERTEBRATES, WASTEWATERS, WATERCRAFTS, WATERCRESSES.
JOHNNY-JUMP-UP (a fast-growing flower or a brand name for a type of toy) is the longest word found in abridged dictionaries that can be typed using only the fingers of the right hand. Other such words (some of which are not in dictionaries) are HOKYPOKY, HOMONYMY, HOMOPHONY, HOMOPHYLY, HYPOLIMNION, HYPOPHYLL, HYPOPHYLLIUM, HYPOPHYLLUM, HYPOPYON, ILLINIUM, ILLUMINOPOLY, KINNIKINNIK, LOLLIPOP, LUPULINUM, MILLIMHO, MILLIOHM, MIMINYPIMINY, MINIKINLY, MINIMILL, MONOHULL, MONOPHONY, MONOPOLY, NIPPONIUM, NONILLION, PHYLLOPHYLLIN, POLLINIUM, POLONIUM, POLYONOMY, POLYPHONIUM, POLYPHONY, UNHOLILY, UNUNNILIUM, and UNUNUNIUM.
The only last names of Presidents of the U. S. which can be typed entirely with the left hand are TAFT and CARTER. The only last name of a President of the U. S. which can be typed entirely with the right hand is POLK.
The only name of a state that can be typed with the right hand is OHIO. The only name of a state that can be typed with the left hand is TEXAS. The only name of a state capital that can be typed with one hand is HONOLULU. [Alan Hochbaum]
The only names of chemical elements which can be typed with the fingers of one hand are HOLMIUM and POLONIUM [Alan Hochbaum].
Dmitri Borgmann gives this sentence which is typed using only the right hand: In July, oh my kill-joy Molly, I’ll look in upon my jumpy polo pony up in hilly Honolulu [Stuart Kidd].
TYPEWRITER can be typed using only the top row of keys on the keyboard. The following ten-letter words with this feature all appear in W2: PEPPERROOT, PEPPERWORT, PERPETUITY, PEWTERWORT, PIROUETTER, PREREQUIRE, PRETORTURE, PROPRIETOR, REPERTOIRE, REPETITORY, TETTERWORT. These words have also been suggested: PROPRIETORY, PROTEROTYPE, RUPTUREWORT, PITUITOTROPE, UROPYOURETER. Chris Cole (Wordplay) gives TEETERTOTTER, although MWCD10 spells the word with a hyphen. A person who rides a teetertotter would be a TEETERTOTTERER [Stuart Kidd]. A reader of this page suggests POWERTRIPPER, although this word seems not to be in dictionaries. EUROPE and PERU can be typed using only the top row of keys; Europe is the only continent that can be typed using a single row of letters.
The only words which can be typed using the bottom row of letters are ZZZ (to indicate sleeping), which is found in at least one dictionary, and the interjection MM, which is in the OED. There are no vowels in the bottom row. [Mark Brader]
SHAKALSHAS (plural of Shakalsha, a people emigrating from Phrygia and colonizing Sicily in early times) is the longest word which can be typed using only the middle row of letters on the keyboard. Other such words: HAGGADAHS, FLAGFALLS, HADASSAHS, GALAGALA, GALAHADS, HASKALAH, and ALFALFAS.
DEEDED can be typed using one finger. Some other such words: HUMHUM, HUMMUM, MUHUHU, ZZZ, ECCE, CEDED, MUMMY, UNNUN, YUMMY, YUMYUM, and MUUMUU.
DISMANTLEMENT is typed by alternating the use of both hands. Other such words are ANTIENDOWMENT, ANTIFORMANT, ANTISKEPTICISM, ANTISOCIAL, ANTISUDORIFIC, ANTIVISITOR, AUTHENTICITY, AUTOTOXICOSIS, CHAIRMAN, ENCHANTMENT, ENFLAMEMENT, LEPTOTHRICOSIS, LEUCOCYTOZOANS, NEUROTOXICITY, PRODUCIBLE, PROFICIENCY, PROFICIENT, RHAPSODIAL, RIFLEMAN, SHENANDOAH, SKEPTICISMS, SUBPROBLEMS, SUSPENSORIAL [Patrick Coston, Stuart Kidd].
Byron Davidson suggested that EIGHTY-SIX might be the largest number which when spelled out is typed with alternating hands, ignoring the hyphen. However, Jay E. Lynch recently pointed out that EIGHTY-EIGHT is larger.
POSTMUSCULAR is the longest word typed using alternating hands, two letters at a time.
PLEASING is typed by using each finger one time. Some other such words (all of which consist of eight letters and include the letter P) are SCALPING, CLASPING, LIFESPAN, BIPLANES, CAPTIONS, PANELIST, and JACKPOTS. Bill Teschek suggested these entries, and has a longer list at http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~teschek/words.htm.
NEBEPASIDARYSIMASIS (19 letters) is, according to Juozas Rimas, possibly the longest Lithuanian word alternating consonants and vowels that can be formed according to legal grammatical rules. It means "a thing of masculine gender that will not be made by oneself anymore". The meaning is obscure but possible, eg if Robinson Crusoe had found a manufactured spade on his island, his idea of making a spade by himself would be [the long word]."
A History of the Origin of the Place Names in Nine Northwestern States (Chicago, 1908) gives an early spelling of Chicago that begins with seven consonants in a row: STKTSCHAGKO [Stuart Kidd].
These words have 6 consecutive consonants: AARRGHHS [OSPD], ARCHCHRONICLER, BERGSCHRUND, BORSCHTS, BRONKHORSTSPRUIT (a town in South Africa), CATCHPHRASE, DORFSCHNEIDER (a surname), DUFTSCHMID (a surname), ESCHSCHOLTZIA (a genus of poppies), FESTSCHRIFT, FLIGHTSTRIP, FRUCHTSCHIEFER, GOLDSCHMIDT (a surname), HANTZSCHIA (genus of diatom), HERTZSPRUNG-RUSSELL DIAGRAM, KAMPSCHROEDER (a surname), KIRSCHSTEINITE, KNIGHTSBRIDGE (a district in London), KOBITZSCHWALDE (a place name in Saxony), KOTZSCHMAR (a surname), KRETZSCHMAR or KRETZSCHMER (a surname), LACHSSCHINKEN, LATCHSTRING, LENGTHSMAN, MALITZSCHKENDORF (a place name in Saxony), MISCHSPRACHE, NACHSCHLAG, POSTPHTHISIC, SCHELLSCHMIDT (a surname), SIGHTSCREEN, TSKTSKING, VELDTSCHOEN, WATCHSTRAP, WELTSCHMERZ. A genus of rhododendron is Rhododendron camptschaticum. Ensatina eschscholtzi is a lungless salamander of the family Plethodontidae. Eleutherodactylus karlschmidti is the extinct Puerto Rican web-footed coqui, a tiny frog. There is a musical by Trisha Ward entitled NIGHTSHRIEK [Rudy Wang, Philip Bennett, Denis Borris, Charles Turner, Stuart Kidd, Eric Brahinsky].
TRKNMLI, an extinct language once spoken in Asia Minor (Pei & Gaynor, A Dictionary of Linguistics) appears to have six consecutive consonants, but the r is probably a vowel in the local language [Stuart Kidd].
Robert G. Wirth writes, "In Ukrainian, beet soup is called BORSHCH. So I can say: 'In Minneapolis there are two good borshchs, at the Ukrainian Hall and at Kramarczuk's Sausage Company.' Trouble is, in gaining the extra H we sacrifice the T; but the plural still has six consonants."
ANGSTS is the shortest word with 5 consonants in a row. Some other words with 5 consonants in a row are ANGSTROM, ANSCHLUSS, ARCHPRESBYTER(ATE), ARCHPRIEST, ASHTHROAT, BACKSPLASH, BACKSPLICE, BACKSPREAD, BACKSPRING, BACKSTRAP, BACKSTREET, BACKSTRETCH, BACKSTRIP, BACKSTROKE, BACKSTROMITE, BIRTHPLACE, BIRTHSTONE, BIRTHSTOOL, BLACKSTRAP, BOLTSTRAKE, BRAUNSCHWEIGER, BREASTSTROKE, BREMSSTRAHLUNG, BRUSHSTROKE, CATCHCRY, CATCHFLY, CHECKSTRAP, CHECKSTRING, CHURCHSCOT, CHURCHSHOT, CORKSCREW, DAWNSTREAK, DEUTSCHMARK, DIRNDLS, DOWNSTREAM, DOWNSTREET, DOWNSTROKE, DOWNTHROW, DOWNTHRUST, DRAUGHTSMAN, DUMBSTRUCK, EARTHBRED, EARTHDRAKE, EARTHFLOW, EARTHGRUBBER, EARTHSHAKER, EARTHSHAKING, EARTHSHINE, EARTHSHOCK, EARTHSLIDE, EARTHSMOKE, EARTHSTAR, EIGHTHLY, EIGHTHS, ERSTWHILE, FILMSTRIP, FIRSTFRUITS, FLIGHTSHOT, FORTHBRINGER, GHOSTSCRIPT, HAETTENSCHWEILER, HARDSCRABBLE, HEALTHCRAFT, HEARTHSTONE, HEARTSTRICKEN, HEARTSTRIKE, HEARTSTRING(S), HEARTTHROB, HITCHPROOF, HUCKSTRESS, ITCHPROOF, JACKSCREW, JACKSTRAW, JOCKSTRAP, KIRSCHNER VALUE, KIRSCHWASSER, LANDSKNECHT, LASTSPRING, LENGTHFUL, LENGTHS, LENGTHWAYS, LENGTHWISE, LIGHTPLANE, LIGHTPROOF, LIGHTSHIP, LONGSCHAT PINE, MATCHSTICK, MELANCHTHONIAN, MILLSTREAM, MUCKSPREADER, NIETZSCHEAN, NIETZSCHEANISM, NIETZSCHEISM, NIGHTCHURR, NIGHTCLOTHES, NIGHTCLUB, NIGHTDRESS, NIGHTFLIT, NIGHTGLOW, NIGHTSHADE, NIGHTSHIRT, NIGHTSTAND, NIGHTSTICK, NIGHTSTOCK, NIGHTSTOOL, NIGHTTRIPPING, OFFSCREEN, OFFSPRING, OFFSTREAM, PACKTHREAD, PHENOLPHTHALEIN, PINTSCH, PITCHBLENDE, PITCHSTONE, POSTPHRAGMA, POSTPHRENIC, POSTSCRIBE, POSTSCRIPT, POSTSCRIPTUM, POSTSPHENOID, POSTSPHYGMIC, POSTSPLENIAL, POSTSPLENIC, POSTSTRIKE, POSTSTROKE, RINGSTRAKED, ROUGHSTRING, SALTSPRINKLER, SCHWARZSCHILD RADIUS, SCRATCHBRUSH, SCRATCHPROOF, SHEIKHDZHEILIA, SHORTSCHAT, SNATCHPROOF, SONGSTRESS, SPORTSWRITER, STRENGTHFUL, STRENGTHLESS, STRENGTHS, STRETCHPROOF, SUBPOSTSCRIPT, SWITCHBLADE, SWITCHGRASS, TERNSTROEMIA, TERNSTROEMIACEAE, THOUSANDTHS, THUMBSCREW, TRICKSTRESS, TURNSCREW, TWELFTHS, WARMTHS, WATCHFREE, WELLSPRING, WELLSTRAND, WINGSPREAD, WITCHCRAFT, WITHSTRAIN.
LIGHTSTORM, with five consecutive consonants, is a strain of Cannabis, the name of James Cameron's film production company, and the title of a Peter F. Hamilton short story. PEWTERSCHMIDT is the name of a family on the TV show Family Guy.
Some proper names with 5 consonants in a row are AHLSTROM, ALTSCHULER, ARMSTRAD, ARMSTRONG, BARTSCH, BASSINGTHWAIGHTE, BERGSTRAND, BERGSTRESSER, BERGSTROM, BERKSTRESSER, BERTSCH, BETSCHKE, BORGSTROM, BRANNSTROM, BRAUNSCHWEIG, BURTSCHI, BURTSCHY, DUCHSCHERER, EDINBURGHSHIRE (also called Midlothian, an administrative district of Scotland), FERNSTROM, FILTSCH, FISCHTHAL, GOLDSTRICH, GOLDTHWAITE (place name in Texas), GOLSCHMANN, GÖTSCHL, GOTTSCHALK, GOTTSCHEWSKI, GULLSTRAND, GOTTSCHEWSKI, HACKENSCHMIED, HAGGSTROM, HALLSTROM, HENTSCHEL, HERBSTREIT, HERRSCHER, HERSCHBACH, HERSCHKOWITSCH, HERSCHTAL, HILLSTROM, HIRSCHFELD, HIRSCHHORN, HOCHSCHILD, HOCHSPRUNG, HOFMANNSTHAL, HOLDSCLAW, HOLTSCLAW, IMSCHWEILER, JANTSCH, KALLSTROM, KIRKCUDBRIGHTSHIRE (a county in Scotand), KLEINPÖTZSCHAU (a place name in Saxony), KLEINSCHMOGRAU (a place name in Silesia), KONWITSCHNY, KRETSCHMER, LONGSTREET, MALMSTROM, MELANCHTHON, MESSERSCHNITZ, MISCHLJENOVATZ, NIETZSCHE, NITSCHKE, NORDSTROM, OBERSCHLEISSHEIM, OLSCHWANGER, PERTHSHIRE (a county and burgh in Scotland), PETSCHNIKOFF, PIETZSCH, POETZSCH, QUARNSTROM, ROCKSPRINGS (a town in Texas), ROTHSCHILD, ROXBURGHSHIRE, SALTZSTEIN, SCOTTSBLUFF (city in Nebraska), SOUTHSTREET, STEINSCHNEIDER, STELLPFLUG, TELTSCHIK, TERPSTRA, TREITSCHKE, WILDSCHÜTZ, WILHELMSTRASSE, WINDISCHGRÄTZ.
[Contributors to the lists of five consecutive consonants are Byron Davidson, Denis Borris, Rudy Wang, Stuart Kidd, Todd Heimarck, Charles Turner, Dan Tilque, Eric Brahinsky, Jeb Bishop].
FLORIDA and RHODE ISLAND are the only names of states which begin with two consonants [Dean Mayer].
The Dutch words SLECHTSTSCHRIJVENDE and ZACHTSTSCHREIENDE (that of some people there is one weeping the lowest) have 9 consecutive consonants [Fred Pruis].
The Dutch word ANGSTSCHREEUW (a cry of fear) is a widely known word with 8 consecutive consonants or 6 consecutive consonantal phonemes. A Dutch word with 7 consecutive consonantal phonemes is HERFSTSPREKER (speaker in autumn). It is not an official word however [Oscar van Vlijmen].
The German words ANGSTSCHWEISS and RECHTSSCHWENKUNG have 8 consecutive consonants [Darryl Zurn].
The Swedish word VÄRLDSSCHLAGER (a kind of world music) has 8 consecutive consonants.
The Georgian word GVBRDGVNIT ("you tear us into pieces") has 8 consecutive consonants.
The Slovenian word RAZZVRKLJATI (to prepare the egg for baking, making omelettes; a hacek over the second z) has seven consecutive consonants [Rok Gajski].
In Slovak, ODSTVRTVRSTVIT has 11 consecutive consonants. It means "to remove a quarter of a layer." The same word in Czech is written as ODCTVRTVRSTVIT [Miroslav Sedivy].
The Croatian word OPSKRBLJIVAC (supplier) has 7 consecutive consonants [Vjekoslav Babic].
In Czech, ČTVRTKRUH (quadrant) has seven consonants before the first vowel [Brian Kell]. ZMRZLINA (ice cream) has five consonants before the first vowel [Pablo Martín-Francés].
The French word SCHTROUMPFS (plural of smurf) is a monosyllabic word containing one set of 5 consecutive consonants and another set of 4.
A reader of this page reports that in the Slovenian language CMRLJ (hacek on 'C', meaning "bumble bee") consists only of 5 consonants.
The Tashlhiyt dialect of Berber is known for its vowelless words, such as TZGR (she crossed) and RGLX (I locked). Among the longest are TKKSTSTT (you [fem.] took it off) and TFTKTSTT (you sprained it) [Benjamin Schak].
In Georgian, GVPRTSKVNI (you peel us) is a one-syllable word [Benjamin Schak].
Mark D. Lew writes, "If you allow that "r" is a consonant (which is debatable), then words beginning with four consonants are commonplace in Czech, as are words consisting entirely of consonants. (KRK=neck, PRST=finger (or toe), SMRK=pine tree, SMRT=death, SRDCE=heart). Words beginning with five consonants are not too rare either. CTVRT means quarter, and Thursday is CTVRTEK. There is a professional volleyball player named Bob CTVRTLIK. The same is true of Serbo-Croatian, to a lesser extent. (CRKVA=church, MRKVA=carrot, TRG=market, ZRTVA=vinegar). The great king of medieval Bosnia was named TVRTKO. Polish also has many common words beginning with four consonants, and a few beginning with five, though most of these include digraphs (PSZCZOLA=bee)."