Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
dictionary thesaurus

spoonerism

noun
spoo·​ner·​ism | \ ˈspü-nə-ˌri-zəm \

Definition of spoonerism 

: a transposition of usually initial sounds of two or more words (as in tons of soil for sons of toil)
Did You Know? Example Sentences Learn More about spoonerism

Keep scrolling for more

Did You Know?

Poor William Archibald Spooner! That British clergyman and educator, who lived from 1844 to 1930, often had to speak in public, but he was a nervous man and his tongue frequently got tangled up. He would say things like "a blushing crow" when he meant "a crushing blow." Spooner's letter reversals became the stuff of legend-and undoubtedly gave his listeners many a laugh. By1900 his name had inspired the term spoonerism, which lives on to this day.

Examples of spoonerism in a Sentence

the spoonerism “tons of soil” for “sons of toil”

Recent Examples on the Web

 Tariffs have consistently retained broad global support despite the spoonerism. — The Economist, "Border terriersA survey finds support for both globalisation and import tariffs," 5 Sep. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'spoonerism.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of spoonerism

1892, in the meaning defined above

History and Etymology for spoonerism

William A. Spooner †1930 English clergyman & educator

Keep scrolling for more

Learn More about spoonerism

Share spoonerism

Listen to Our Podcast about spoonerism

Theme music by Joshua Stamper ©2006 New Jerusalem Music/ASCAP

Statistics for spoonerism

Look-up Popularity

Time Traveler for spoonerism

The first known use of spoonerism was in 1892

See more words from the same year

Keep scrolling for more

More Definitions for spoonerism

spoonerism

noun

English Language Learners Definition of spoonerism

: a humorous mistake in which a speaker switches the first sounds of two or more words

See the full definition for spoonerism in the English Language Learners Dictionary

More from Merriam-Webster on spoonerism

Rhyming Dictionary: Words that rhyme with spoonerism

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about spoonerism

Comments on spoonerism

What made you want to look up spoonerism? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

Show Comments  Hide Comments 

WORD OF THE DAY

nomothetic

involving abstract or general statements

Get Word of the Day daily email!

Test Your Vocabulary

Liar, Liar Quiz

  • alt-5761dbe2ba986
  • Someone who pretends to be sick in order to avoid work is a:
Name That Thing

Test your visual vocabulary with our 10-question challenge!

TAKE THE QUIZ
Word Winder's CrossWinder

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games