Last revision: Nov. 9, 2020
Wilfred Funk’s list of the most beautiful words in English: ASPHODEL, FAWN, DAWN, CHALICE, ANEMONE, TRANQUIL, HUSH, GOLDEN, HALCYON, CAMELLIA, BOBOLINK, THRUSH, CHIMES, MURMURING, LULLABY, LUMINOUS, DAMASK, CERULEAN, MELODY, MARIGOLD, JONQUIL, ORIOLE, TENDRIL, MYRRH, MIGNONETTE, GOSSAMER, ALYSSEUM, MIST, OLEANDER, AMARYLLIS, ROSEMARY. [Alysseum may be a misspelling of alyssum, but this is how the word appears in Paul Dickson’s Words.]
In the same poll, other American writers, poets, and critics responded with these selections: HOME (Lowell Thomas), CHATTANOOGA (Irvin S. Cobb), MELODY (Charles Swain Thomas), NOBILITY (Stephen D. Wise), VERMILION (Lew Sarett), GRACIOUS (Bess Streeter Aldrich), PAVEMENT (Arnold Bennett), LOVELY (George Balch Nevin), HARBORS OF MEMORY (William McFee), and NEVERMORE (Elias Lieberman). Louis Untermeyer responded, "The most musical words seem to be those containing the letter 'l'. I think, offhand, of such words as VIOLET, LAKE, LAUGHTER, WILLOW, LOVELY, and other such limpid and liquid syllables" [Charles Turner].
According to James Joyce, CUSPIDOR is the most beautiful word in English [Dickson].
In A Pilgrim at Tinker Creek (page 86), Annie Dillard writes: "My friend Rosanne Coggeshall, the poet, says that sycamore is the most intrinsically beautiful word in English" [Sarah Gossett].
A survey conducted in 2004 by the British Council which asked more than 40,000 people around the world to rank the most beautiful words among a list of 70 words found MOTHER first, followed by PASSION, SMILE, LOVE, and ETERNITY [Charles Turner].
According to reporter, editor, writer, and author Willard R. Espy, the ten most beautiful words in the English language are GONORRHEA, GOSSAMER, LULLABY, MEANDERING, MELLIFLUOUS, MURMURING, ONOMATOPOEIA, SHENANDOAH, SUMMER AFTERNOON, WISTERIA [The Book of Lists 2 (1980)].
In a 2005 column in the New York Times, James Gorman wrote that he was infatuated with the word AMYGDALA. "I like its sound, you might say its musicality" [Robert Brown].
In a 2009 survey of 75 students in his classes Robert E. Wolverton Sr., a Mississippi State classics professor, found that of the 148 different "beautiful" words submitted by students, several were listed multiple times: ELOQUENT (six), LOVE (four), and SYMPHONY (four). BEAUTIFUL, LAVENDER, and TRANQUILITY each received three mentions. Of the 138 "ugly" words, the following are mentioned multiple times: VOMIT (six), MOIST (five), PUKE (five), PHLEGM (four), SLAUGHTER (four), SNOT (four), UGLY (four), DAMP (three), and MUCUS (three). In a survey of 125 students in a different year, he found the 12 ugliest words to be MOIST, PHLEGM, HATE, OOZE, VOMIT, PUTRID, GROTESQUE, MUCUS, PUKE, PUS, SCAB, and UGLY. The same survey found the most beautiful words to be LOVE, ELOQUENT, FAITH, PLETHORA, SERENDIPITY, EPIPHANY, LULLABY, RAIN, BEAUTIFUL, BEAUTY, GRACE, and JESUS. [James Laundau]
Robert Beard’s list of the 100 most beautiful words is here. [Charles Turner]
Charles Turner points out that QUASIHEMIDEMISEMIQUAVER (the 128th note) has “a certain lyrical redundancy.” (The British term is SEMIHEMIDEMISEMIQUAVER.)
In 2009 the web site altalang.com published its finalists for most beautiful English words: BUBBLE, POSHLUST, PERSPICACIOUS, DIAPHONOUS, DUENDE, SUSURRUS, SESQUIPEDALIAN, ENNUI, DOPPELGÄNGER, IRIDESCENT, EPHEMERAL, ARBOREAL, CADENCE, MELLIFLUOUS, QUINTESSENCE, EPYTHYMY, GEZELLIG, SAUDADE. [Charles Turner]
According to Dorothy Parker, “The two most beautiful words in the English language are ‘cheque enclosed.’” [Charles Turner]
The ten worst-sounding words in English, according to a poll by the National Association of Teachers of Speech in August, 1946: CACOPHONY, CRUNCH, FLATULENT, GRIPE, JAZZ, PHLEGMATIC, PLUMP, PLUTOCRAT, SAP, and TREACHERY.
According to Espy, the ten ugliest-sounding words in English, excluding indecent words, are FRUCTIFY, KUMQUAT, QUAHOG, CREPUSCULAR, KAKKAK, GARGOYLE, CACOPHONOUS, AASVOGEL, BROBDINGNAGIAN, JUKEBOX [The Book of Lists: The '90s Edition].
VICTUALS (pronounced "vittles") is the ugliest word in the language according to Harry Golden [Dickson].
NYNEX was deemed to be the worst name of any company in America by the publisher of Advertising Age [Dickson].
A 2009 Marist Poll of Americans found the most annoying words or phrases were WHATEVER, YOU KNOW, ANYWAY, IT IS WHAT IT IS, and AT THE END OF THE DAY. The 2010 poll found the most annoying words or phrases were WHATEVER, followed by LIKE and YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN. [Charles Turner]
A post in 2010 on the blog of The Economist reported that its style guide listed these “horrble words.” CARER and most CARING expressions, CHATTERING CLASSES, FACILITATE, FAMOUSLY, GOVERNANCE, GROW THE BUSINESS, GUESSTIMATE, INFORMED (as in his love of language informed his memos), LEVERAGE, LIKELY (meaning probably, rather than probable), LOOKING TO, MATERIEL, POSTER CHILD, PRESTIGIOUS, PROACTIVE, RACK UP (profits etc.), SAVVY, SEGUE, SOURCE (meaning obtain), and STAKEHOLDER. [Charles Turner]
In 2010 the web site altalang.com compiled a list of the ugliest words from a survey it conducted on Facebook, Twitter, and Reddit. The ugly words were: SMEGMA, PHLEGM, PUS, PREGNANT, RURAL, MOIST, JUROR, REGURGITATE, CROTCH, BUNION, PULCHRITUDE, SCHMEAR, SCAB, STICKTOITIVENESS, DISCHARGE, BLOG, SYNERGY, CREPUSCULAR, OINTMENT, CHUNK, CURDLE, TAX, FETID, ROUTINE, HONK. [Charles Turner]
In 2012, Time magazine listed the “most unfortunate” names for towns in the U. S. as: Toad Suck, Arkansas; Climax, Georgia; Boring, Oregon and Maryland; Hooker, Oklahoma; Assawoman, Maryland; Belchertown, Massachusetts; Roachtown, Illinois; Loveladies, New Jersey; Squabbletown, California; Monkey’s Eyebrow, Kentucky; Chicken, Alaska.
Abbreviations for this section:
DIC = Dict of Inorganic Compounds, Chapman & Hall, 1992
DOC = Dict of Organic Compounds, Chapman & Hall, 1996
GHCD = Grant and Hackh’s Chemical Dict, 1987
IDMB = International Dict of Medicine & Biology, 1986
There are 10 A’s in the Massachusetts lake name CHARGOGGAGOGGMANCHAUGGAUGGAGOGGCHAUBUNAGUNGAMAUGG.
There are 9 A’s in AQUAETHYLENEDIAMINETETRAACETATOMANGANATE (DIC).
There are 6 A’s in TARAMASALATA, PALAEACANTHOCEPHALA, TATHAGATAGARBHA, TARANTARRATARA (the sound of a bugle or drum, OED), and ADAMANTOBLASTOMATA. There are also 6 A’s in ASTRAGALOCALCANEAL and CALCANEOASTRAGALAR although the status of these words is uncertain.
There are seven B’s in BUBUBUBUBUBUBU.
There are six B’s in HUBBUBBUBBOO (OED2) and BIBBLE-BABBLE.
There are five B’s in HUBBLE-BUBBLE (a hubbub; confused talk; a bubbling sound – Shorter Oxford English Dictionary, 6th ed.).
There are four B’s in BIBLIOBIBULI (a word coined by H. L. Mencken which means "people who read too much and so are generally oblivious to the world around them"), BUBBYBUSH (W3), BEBLUBBERED, FLIBBERTIGIBBET, BUBBLEABLE (OED2), MUBBLEFUBBLES (a fit of depression, coined in 1589), SCRIBBLEDEHOBBLE (OED2), and UBBUBBOO (OED2).
There are 6 C’s in CHOLANGIOCHOLECYSTOCHOLEDOCHECTOMY (IDMB), PNEUMONOULTRAMICROSCOPICSILICOVOLCANOCONIOSIS, and CLACK-CLACK-CLACK (OED).
There are 5 C’s in COCCOCHROMATIC (W2), CIRCUMCRESCENCE (W3), MICROCOCCACEAE (a type of bacteria), SACCHAROCOCCUS (a type of bacteria), CHROOCOCCACEAE (the family of blue-green algae), ARGININOSUCCINICACIDURICALLY, CERVICOOCULOACOUSTICALLY, CHROOCOCCACEOUS, ECHINOCOCCIC, and CATCH-AS-CATCH-CAN (a wrestling style in which all holds are permissible).
There are 4 C’s in ACCIACCATURA, ACCIACCATURAS, ACCIACCATURE, BECCACCIA, BOCCACCIO, CACHECTIC, CARBOCYCLIC, CIRCUMCIRCLE, COCARCINOGENIC, COCCIC, COCCIDIOIDOMYCOSIS, CONCRESCENCE, CONCUPISCENCE, CONCYCLIC, COUNTERCYCLICAL, COUNTERCYCLICALLY, CRYPTOCOCCAL, CRYPTOCOCCI, CRYPTOCOCCOSIS, CRYPTOCOCCUS, ECCLESIOCLASTIC, ECHINOCOCCI, ECHINOCOCCOSIS, ECHINOCOCCUS, GONOCOCCIC, MACROCYCLIC, MENINGOCOCCIC, MICROCOCCAL, MICROCOCCI, MICROCOCCUS, SCACCHIC, STAPHYLOCOCCIC, and STREPTOCOCCIC.
There are 7 D’s in DIKETOHYDRINDYLIDENEDIKETOHYDRINDAMINE (formed by the reaction of ninhydrin with amino acids; also known as Ruhemann’s purple) and DIDDLE-DADDLED.
There are 6 D’s in DIDDLE-DIDDLE (the sound of a fiddle, Shorter Oxford English Dictionary, 6th ed.).
There are 5 D’s in DISDODECAHEDROID (W3), DODECAHEMIDODECAHEDRON, FUDDY-DUDDY, DODECICOSIDODECAHEDRON, DUNDERHEADEDEDNESS, and HODDY-DODDY (a short and dumpy person).
There are 4 D’s in CONDIDDLED, DADDED, DIDDERED, DODDED, DADDLED, DIDDLED, DODDARD, DODDERED, DEADHEADED, DISBUDDED, DOGSLEDDED, DUNDERHEADED, GRANDDADDY, MUDDLEHEADED, SKEDADDLED, WOODSHEDDED, DENDRODENDRITIC, UNDERBUDDED.
There are 9 E’s in DIHYDROXYBENZENEHEXAMETHYLENETETRAMINE (GHCD).
There are 8 E’s in PEEKEENEENEE (OED).
There are 7 E’s in ETHYLENEDIAMINETETRAACETATE (MWCD10) and SEVENTEEN-WHEELER. There are also 7 E’s in ELECTROTELETHERMOMETER. However, no actual use of this word has been found.
There are 6 E’s in BEEVEEDEE (men’s underwear, OED), DEFENCELESSNESSES, DEGENERATENESSES, DEGENERESCENCE, FEEBLEHEARTEDNESS, FEEBLEMINDEDNESSES, HETEROGENEOUSNESSES, HEXAMETHYLENETETRAMINE, LEVELHEADEDNESSES, REGENERATENESSES, REPREHENIBLENESSES, REPRESENTATIVENESSES, STEREOTELEMETER, TENDERHEARTEDNESSES, and UNREPRESENTATIVENESSES.
There are 6 F’s in FIFFLE-FAFFLEMENT [English Dialect Dictionary].
There are 5 F’s in FLUFFY-RUFFLE.
There are 4 F’s in RIFFRAFF, NIFFNAFF, CHIFFCHAFF, GIFFGAFF (mutual accommodation, mutual giving - W2), COEFFEFFE (OED2), and FURIFUFF (OED2). Chambers has FEE-FI-FO-FUM. The English Dialect Dictionary has CUFFUFFLE, HAFFLE-CAFFLE, HAFFLE-MAFFLE, SHIFFLE-SHAFFLE, SNIFFLE-SNAFFLE, TIFFLE-TAFFLE, and WHIFFLE-WHAFFLE.
There are 17 G’s in the Massachusetts lake name CHARGOGGAGOGGMANCHAUGGAUGGAGOGGCHAUBUNAGUNGAMAUGG.
There are 6 G’s in WAGGERPAGGERBAGGER (a slang/archaic term for waste paper basket).
There are 5 G’s in HIGGLEHAGGLING (W3), WIGGLE-WAGGLING, and HUGGERMUGGERING.
There are 4 G’s in AGGREGATING, AGGREGING, CHUGALUGGING, DISAGGREGATING, DOGLEGGING, GAGGING, GAGGLING, GANGGANG, GIGGING, GIGGLING, GIGGLINGLY, GLUGGING, GOGGLING, GUGGLING, LALLYGAGGING, LOLLYGAGGING, REAGGREGATING, WIGWAGGING, and ZIGZAGGING.
There are 8 H’s in DIPHENYLDIPHENYLPHOSPHINOTHIOYLMETHYLPHOSPHINE (DOC). (The -thioyl- part of the spelling may be incorrect.)
There are 5 H’s in TSCHISCHLKHATHKHOAN (the name of an Indian tribe) and HIGH-CHURCHMANSHIP.
There are 4 H’s in DICHLORODIPHENYLTRICHLOROETHANE, DINAPHTHOTHIOPHENE, PHENOLSULPHONPHTHALEIN, PHOSPHORIBOSYLPYROPHOSPHATE, PHTHALYLSULPHATHIAZOLE, ICHTHYOPHTHIRA (a crustaceous fish parasite), DINAPHTHOTHIOPHENE (a derivative of coal tar used in moth balls), ICHTHYOPHTHALMITE (a mineral: apophyllite), ICHTHYOPHTHIRIUS (a genus of fish parasite), RHAMPHORHYNCHID, RHAMPHORHYNCHUS (a genus of pterodactyls), and OPHTHALMOPHTHISIS (abnormal softness of the eye - Dorland’s Medical Dictionary). These words appear in the OED2: CHROMOPHOTOLITHOGRAPH, HEILSGESCHICHTLICH, METHYLTRIETHYLPHOSPHONIUM, PHOTOPHOBOPHTHALMIA, SHAHANSHAH, TRIETHYLSULPHONEMETHYLMETHANE, WHHI-HHEE, and MACHHAPUCHHRE (a mountain in Nepal).
There are 9 I’s in FLOCCINAUCINIHILIPILIFICATION.
There are 8 I’s in DISINDIVISIBILITIES (OED).
There are 7 I’s in INDIVISIBILITIES, INDISTINGUISHABILITIES, HONORIFICABILITUDINITATIBUS, and SUPERCALIFRAGILISTICEXPIALIDOCIOUS.
There are 6 I’s in DIRIGIBILITIES, DISCRIMINABILITIES, DISTINGUISHABILITIES, DIVISIBILITIES, HISTOINCOMPATIBILITIES, IGNITIBILITIES, ILLIMITABILITIES IMMISCIBILITIES, IMPERMISSIBILITIES, IMPOSSIBILIFICATION, INADMISSIBILITIES, INCORRIGIBILITIES, INDIGESTIBILITIES, INDISCERNIBILITIES, INDISCERPTIBILITIES, INDISTINGUISHABILITY, INDIVISIBILITY, INELIGIBILITIES, INFINITESIMALITIES, INTELLIGIBILITIES, INTERVISIBILITIES, INVINCIBILITIES, INVISIBILITIES, IRRESISTIBILITIES, MINIMIFIDIANISM, PERICARDIOMEDIASTINITIS, PNEUMONOULTRAMICROSCOPICSILICOVOLCANOCONIOSIS, UNINTELLIGIBILITIES.
There are 4 J’s in JEJUNOJEJUNOSTOMY.
There are 3 J’s in PITJANTJATJARA (a dialect of the language of the Pitjantjatjara people of central Australia), JHAJJAR (a place in Dehli, India), JINGJINJI (the national capital region of China), and EYJAFJALLAJOKULL (a volcano in Iceland which erupted in 2010).
There are 5 K’s in KVIKKJOKK (a Swedish town).
There are 4 K’s in KAKKAK (a small bittern of Guam - W3), KUKUKUKU (tribespeople of New Guinea), KNICKKNACK (W3), KUKUMAKRANKA, KAKKERLAK (OED2), KWAKWAKA’WAKW (indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest), and KVIKKALKUL (a Swedish programming language).
There are 11 L’s in the Welsh city LLANFAIRPWLLGWYNGYLLGOGERYCHWYRNDROBWLLLLANTYSILIOGOGOGOCH. An alternate spelling changes the -TYSILIO- to -DYSILIO-: LLANFAIRPWLLGWYNGYLLGOGERYCHWYRNDROBWLLLLANDYSILIOGOGOGOCH which still has eleven L’s. However, LL is considered a single letter in Welsh.
There are 7 L’s in BALLILLILLY-LOO (a Scottish expression for a lullaby, English Dialect Dictionary).
There are 6 L’s in ACYLHALOGENALKYL(ALPHYL)AMINE and LLULLAILLACO (a volcano in North Chile, 3 double-L’s).
There are 5 L’s in ALLOCHLOROPHYLL, ALLOPLASTICALLY, INTELLECTUALISTICALLY, LILLIBULLERO, LILLYPILLY, PALEOCLIMATOLOGICALLY, POLYSYLLABICALLY, POLYSYLLABILINGUAL, and TROLLY-LOLLY (used as a meaningless refrain in a song).
There are 9 M’s in DIMETHYLAMINOMETHYLENEAMINOMETHYLENEDIMETHYLAMMONIUM (DOC).
There are 5 M’s in AMMOPALLADAMMONIUM and FORMALDEHYDETETRAMETHYLAMIDOFLUORIMUM.
There are 4 M’s in IMMUNOCOMPROMISED, MAMMECTOMY, MAMMIFORM, MAMMOGRAM, MAMMONISM, MESEMBRYANTHEMUM, MOHAMMEDISM, MULTIMAMMATE, MUMMIFORM, and MUMMYDOM.
There are 7 N’s in SPIRODIOXABICYCLONONANEEPOXYCYCLOPENTAPHENANTHRENE.
There are 6 N’s in NONANNOUNCEMENT (W2), ONNFANNGENN, UNNBIGUNNEN (OED), and NONNY-NONNY (used as a meaningless or (formerly) euphemistic refrain in songs – Shorter Oxford English Dictionary, 6th ed.).
There are 5 N’s in ENDENIZENNING, FENNOSCANDINAVIAN, INCONTINENTNESS, INCONVENIENCING, INCONVENIENTNESS, NANNOPLANKTON, NONCONFINING, NONCONFRONTATION, NONCONFRONTATIONAL, NONCONNECTION, NONCONTINGENT, NONCONVENTIONAL, NONDENOMINATIONAL, NONDENOMINATIONALISM, NONENGINEERING, NONENTERTAINMENT, NONFUNCTIONING, NONGAINSTANDING, NONINDEPENDENCE, NONINTERVENTION, NONINTERVENTIONIST, NONTANNIN, NONWINNING, NOVEMNONAGINTILLION, SHENANIGANNING, TENNYSONIANNESS, UNBEGINNINGNESS, UNCONTENTINGNESS, UNCONVINCINGNESS, UNCUNNINGNESS, UNINCONVENIENCED, and UNSTRENGTHENNING.
There are 9 O’s in PNEUMONOULTRAMICROSCOPICSILICOVOLCANOCONIOSIS (W3 and OED2) and DICHLOROISOTHIOCYANATOOXOPHOSPHORUS (a highly reactive liquid - DIC).
There are 8 O’s in TOOMATOOGOOROO (a spiny New Zealand shrub, OED), OOLOOPOOLOO (a tribe or dialect in Western Australia), WOOLLOOMOOLOO (a place in New South Wales, Australia), and HOOLIE-GOOL-OO-OO (the hoot of an owl, in the Dictionary of the Scots Language).
There are 7 O’s in CHOLANGIOCHOLECYSTOCHOLEDOCHECTOMY and CHRONONHOTONTHOLOGOS (Roget’s).
There are 6 O’s in MONOGONOPOROUS, ODONTONOSOLOGY, PROCTOCOLONOSCOPY, DUODENOCHOLEDOCHOTOMY, CHOLEDOCHODUODENOSTOMY, PSEUDOMONOCOTYLEDONOUS, ZOOLOGICOARCHAEOLOGIST, XENONOSOCOMIOPHOBIA, BROMOCHLORODIFLUOROMETHANE, HYDROCHLOROFLUOROCARBON, PHOTOGEOMORPHOLOGY, COOSCOOSOO (OED2), KOOSKOOSOO (OED2), ROOCOOCOO (a pigeon noise, OED), COOKKOOOOSE (the tribes of the Kusan Indian family in the F.W. Hodge Handbook of American Indians North of Mexico), and AMORONTHOLOGOSPHORUS.
There are 6 P’s in DIPHENYLDIPHENYLPHOSPHINOTHIOYLMETHYLPHOSPHINE and PIPPLE-PAPPLE [English Dialect Dictionary].
There are 5 P’s in PHOSPHORIBOSYLPYROPHOSPHATE, PLIP-PLOPPED, and PEPPER-UPPER (American Thesaurus of Slang).
There are 4 P’s in WHIPPERSNAPPER, HAPLOPAPPUS, PENTAPOPEMPTIC, POLYAPOPEMPTIC, SNIPPERSNAPPER, APLOPAPPUS, UPPOPPED (W2), and UPPROPPED [SOWPODS]. The OED2 has PARAHIPPOCAMPAL, POSTHIPPOCAMPAL, SLIPPERSLAPPER, STIFFUPPERLIPPISHNESS, and SUPRAOPTICOHYPOPHYSIAL.
There are 4 Q’s in QAWIQSAQQ (an Alaskan bluff) and QEQERTUQDJUAQ (a place name in Canada).
There are 3 Q’s in QARAQALPAQ (W3), QUINQUESQUAMATA (a species of rubberweed plant of southwest USA), QAQAQ (an insular hill surrounded by glacial ice in Greenland, Word Ways), QUATTUORQUINQUAGINTILLION (a name for 10165 in the American system), and QUINQUINQUAGINTILLION (10168). Allowing proper nouns, the following place names in Greenland have 3 Q’s: QEQERTARSUAQ, TUTTOQQORTOOQ, QAQORTOQ, QEQERTAQ [1000 miles north of QAQORTOQ], QOOQQUT, and SAQQAQ. There are also 3 Q’s in OQSUQTOOQ (in the Canadian territory of Nunavut) and UQSUQTUUQ (another name for Gjoa Haven).
There are 2 Q’s in EQUIVOQUE, QUINQUINA, ALBUQUERQUE, QUINQUAGESIMA, QUINQUENNIA, QUINQUEREME, QUINQUENNIAL, QUAQUAVERSAL, QUASQUECENTENNIAL, QUINQUAGENARIAN, QUINQUENNIUM, QUINQUESECTION, QUISQUILIOUS, QUISQUOS, SESQUIQUADRATE, QWAQWA (a national state or non-independent black homeland in South Africa), QUATTUORQUADRAGINTILLION, QUINQUADRAGINTILLION, QUINQUAGINTILLION, QUINQUEPARTITE, QUOMODOCUNQUIZE, QUINQUEVALENT, QAIMAQAM (an alternate spelling of kaymakam), and KANGIQSLINIQ and QAUSUITTUQ (both are places in the Canadian territory of Nunavut).
Bruce D. Wilner points out that HABAKKUK (a book of the Bible) could be transliterated HABAQQUQ (with 3 Q’s). This transliteration requires qoph to be transliterated Q rather than K; there are two qophs in the word but the first one has a dagesh which effectively doubles the consonant.
There are 6 R’s in STRAWBERRY-RASPBERRY (a Japanese plant).
There are 5 R’s in FERRIPROTOPORPHYRIN (W3), REREFERRER, FERROPROTOPORPHYRIN, TERROR-STIRRING, and TRANSURETEROURETEROSTOMY.
There are 4 R’s in ARCHTREASURER, ARMOURBEARER, CARDIORESPIRATORY, CARRYFORWARD, CHIRURGERAR, CORROBORATOR, CORROBORATORY, COUNTERREFORMER, COUNTERTERROR, COUNTERTERRORISM, COUNTERTERRORIST, COUNTERTERRORS, EXTRACURRICULAR, EXTRATERRATORIAL, EXTRATERRESTRIAL, EXTRATERRITORIAL, EXTRATERRITORIALITY, FORESPURRER, FORRARDER, FURRURER, INTERTERRITORIAL, PARTRIDGEBERRY, PREFERRER, REFERRER, REFRIGERATOR, REPROGRAPHER, RETRANSFERRED, RETRANSFERRING, RETROREFLECTOR, REVERBERATORY, SUPERCARRIER, SURRENDERER, TERRORIZER, and TRANSFERRER.
There are 9 S’s in POSSESSIONLESSNESSES (W3).
There are 8 S’s in STRESSLESSNESSES.
There are 7 S’s in CLASSLESSNESSES, EXPRESSIONLESSNESSES, POSSESSEDNESSES, POSSESSIVENESSES, RESISTLESSNESSES, SENSELESSNESSES, STRESSLESSNESS, and SUCCESSLESSNESS.
There are 7 T’s in TAT-TAT-TATTING [W2].
There are 6 T’s in UNTITTLETATTLING, RATTATATTATORY, TATTARRATTAT, TITTER-TOTTER (the pastime of playing see-saw), and TITTLE-TATTLE (idle talk, petty gossip).
The rec.puzzles archive shows 6 T’s in TETRASUBSTITUTEDEST.
There are 5 T’s in TRANSUBSTANTIATIONALIST, TOTIPOTENTIALITY, ETHYLENEDIAMINETETRAACETATE, INTERSUBSTITUTABILITY, ANTICONSTITUTIONALIST, ETHYLENEDIAMINETETRAACETATE, THROTTLEBOTTOM [rec.puzz], YTTROTANTALITE, TETARTOSYSTEMATIC, YTTROTITANITE, TIT-TAT-TOE, and YTTROTUNGSTITE.
There are 9 U’s in HUMUHUMUNUKUNUKUAPUAA (a triggerfish - RHUD2).
There are 7 U’s in BUBUBUBUBUBUBU.
There are 5 U’s in UNTUMULTUOUS, TUGULUSAURUS (Cretaceous dinosaur from China), URUGUAYSUCHUS (an extinct crocodile from South America), UBURU-UKU (a Nigerian place name), and PURUSUSAURUS (fossil Amazonian crocodile).
There are 4 U’s in MUUMUUS, SUCURUJU SUPERLUXURIOUS, SURUCUCU, TUMULTUOUS, UNPRESUMPTUOUS, UNSCRUPULOUS, UNUNQUADIUM, UNUNUNIUM, USUFRUCTUARY, UTURUNCU (a Bolivian volcano), and TUMUCUMAQUE (the world’s largest rainforest park and the codename for Firefox 4).
There are 4 V’s in VLADKRIVOVICHEVITE (a mineral), OVI-OVOVIVIPAROUS, and the Scottish word NIVVI-NIVVI-NAK-NAK. [Bruce Rae]
There are 3 V’s in VLADIMIRIVANOVITE (a mineral), VIVISECTIVE, OVOVIVIPAROUS, OVOVIVIPARITY, VIVIFICATIVE, VULVOVAGINITIS, OVERVIVID [SOWPODS], OVERCONSERVATIVE, VULVOVAGINITIDES, EVVIVA (a shout of applause, OED), OVERVOLVE (OED2), and OVERINVOLVED.
There are 5 W’s in M'DAYWAWKAWNTWAWNS (Indians of the Mdewakanton tribe).
There are 4 W’s in WOW-WOW [W2], WAW-WAW [OED], KWAKWAKA’WAKW (indigenous peoples in the Pacific Northwest), and WOW-WOWEY [English Dialect Dictionary].
There are 3 W’s in BOWWOW, POWWOW, SWALLOWWORT, NEWWORLDWARD, WATERWAW, WILLIWAW, WPPWRMWSTE (an archaic spelling of uppermost), and WAYWOODWARE.
The following Welsh words have 3 W’s: CWNCWERWR (conqueror), CWRICWLWM (curriculum), GWATWARWR (satirist), GWAWDAWR (poet), GWAWDIWR (mocker), GWAYWDWN (broken-speared), GWRTHWENWYN (antidote), GWRTHWYNEBRWYDD (repugnance), GWRTHWYNEBWR (opponent), and GWRYWGYDIWR (homosexual).
There are 4 X’s in HEXAHYDROXYOXYHEXALEAD (DIC).
There are 3 X’s in HEXAHYDROXYCYCLOHEXANE (Random House), HEXAHEXAFLEXAGON, AXAXAX (the name of a font), HEXAKOSIOIHEXEKONTAHEXAPHOBIA (fear of the number 666), and TRIETHYELENDIOXYCHLOROPENTAHEXENETETRAFLOUROCARBOXILATE.
There are 2 X’s in AXOAXONAL, AXOAXONIC, EXCITOTOXICITY, EXCITOTOXIN, EXECUTRIX, EXITSPEX, EXOTOXIC, EXOTOXIN, EXTRATEXTUAL, HEPTAHEXAFLEXAGON, HEXAFLEXAGON, MAXIXE, PAXWAX, PENTAHEXAFLEXAGON, RIXATRIX, SAXITOXIN, SEXTUPLEX, TETRAHEXAFLEXAGON, TRIHEXAFLEXAGON, XANTHOTOXIN, XANTHOXYL, XEROX, XERXES, and XYLANTHRAX.
There are 7 Y’s in GLYCYLGLYCYLGLYCYLGLYCINE, which is in DOC, and a legitimate use of which has been found on the Internet.
There are 6 Y’s in DIISOBUTYLPHENOXYETHOXYETHYLDIMETHYLBENZYLAMMONIUMCHLORIDE and DIMETHYLETHYLAMINOHYDROXYPROPOXYTETRAHYDRONAPHTHALENEDIOL.
There are 5 Y’s in POLYSYNBRACHYDACTYLY (a condition of multiple fused shortened digits - IDMB), LLANFAIRPWLLGWYNGYLLGOGERYCHWYRNDROBWLLLLANTYSILIOGOGOGOCH, YSBYTY CYNFYN (a place name in Wales), and YSBYTY YSTWYTH (a place name in Wales).
There are 4 Y’s in ACROCEPHALOPOLYSYNDACTYLY, DACRYOCYSTOSYRINGOTOMY (W3), DIMETHYLAMIDOPHENYLDIMETHYLPYRAZOLONE, HYDROXYMETHYLACYLFULVENE, HYDROXYPYRROLIDINECARBOXYLIC, HYPERPOLYSYLLABICALLY, KYRYMYRY (OED), MYNYDDYSLWYN (a proper name), and POLYHYDROXYBUTYRATE.
There are 6 Z’s in ZENZIZENZIZENZIC (OED2).
There are 4 Z’s in RAZZMATAZZ (W3), PIZZAZZ, PAZZAZZ, RAZZLEDAZZLE, FUZZY-WUZZY (a black person, esp. one with tightly curled hair –Shorter Oxford English Dictionary, 6th ed.), and TUZZY-MUZZY (a bunch of flowers; a nosegay, a posy, a garland –Shorter Oxford English Dictionary, 6th ed.).
There are 3 Z’s in AZZAZAME (an Arab people living chiefly in the Sinai peninsula), BEZAZZ, Eritherium azzouzorum (a pimitive elephant relative), PAZAZZ, PIZAZZ, PZAZZ (a group of Irish sopranos, or otherwise a proper noun), ZIZURZ (a dialect word for scissors in Hampshire [UK] Dialect), ZIZZ (to nap; also zizzed and zizzing), ZIZZLE, and ZYZZYVA.