| Italian Word Oddities and Trivia |
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Hints and Tricks For Italian Scrabble, Anagrams, and Crosswords
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"Are there any word games that are good for learning Italian vocabulary?"
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So you've mastered first conjugation Italian verbs, learned how to count in Italian, and can roll your r's like a native. If you're looking for the next linguistic challenge, try an Italian word game such as Scarabeo (Scrabble), Paroliere (Boggle) or a cruciverba (crossword puzzle). It's a great divertimento and a terrific way to improve your vocabulary skills.
I'd Like to Buy a Vocale
Here are a few tips for solving Italian word games. When filling in the blanks of cruciverbi remember that Italian abbreviations and acronyms stem from the Italian term (the United Nations is referred to as the Organizzazione delle Nazioni Unite and abbreviated ONU). If you're staring at a rack of Scarabeo tiles including the letters A, A, E, I, O, U, and L, don't despair! Consider these word oddities:
- aiuola (flower bed) has 5 syllables and 6 letters; its plural AIUOLE is the shortest Italian word with all 5 vowels.
- funamboleschi (about funambolists) longest word in Italian with no repeating letters
- 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).
- effervescentemente (sparklingly) has 7 E's.
- indivisibilissimi (very unsplittable) has 8 I's and no other vowels. INDIVISIBILI (unsplittable) has 6 I's and no other vowels.
- contropropongono (they counterpropose) has the most O's.
- cuscussù or urubù (couscous and a kind of condor) have the most U's.
If after a shake of the Paroliere board game there are recognizable letter combinations amongst the game cubes, take advantage of the fact that Italian nouns have a pattern to their singular/plural endings. And since regular Italian verbs have consistent, repeating endings, use combinations such as -iamo, -ate, and -ano to form new words.
L-o-o-o-o-o-o-ng words
Besides word games, you can impress your friends with Italian word trivia. Here are a few examples of unusual Italian words:
- precipitevolissimevolmente (as fast as you can) is a word created in 1677 and is traditionally considered the longest word in Italian.
- 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 described as the longest Italian word in common use.
