Spoonerism Definition: 3 Examples of Spoonerisms

The definition of spoonerism is a slip of the tongue wherein you swap the first sounds (generally the initial consonants) of two or more words to create a new word or words altogether. For instance, “new year” becomes “yew near” and “word of the day” becomes “dord of the way.” The English word derives from the fact that Reverend William Archibald Spooner of Oxford, who lived during the reign of Queen Victoria, was prone to these sorts of linguistic transpositions. The English clergyman developed a reputation for stumbling over his words during his sermons, and people found his jumbled delivery so endearing and entertaining that they named these figures of speech “spoonerisms.”

The term spoonerism applies to this sort of change specifically in the English language. The French describe this phenomenon as a “contrepèterie,” and the Polish as a “marrowsky.”

William Spooner (1844–1930) was the Warden of New College, Oxford, and a clergyman—his surname serves as the origin of the linguistic term “spoonerism.” Throughout his sermons and lectures, he allegedly fell prey to such slips of the tongue often, in which he transposed consonants or syllables. There’s a dispute about just how much the reverend tripped over his speech in this manner. The man himself claimed his only true spoonerism was calling a hymn “Kingquering Congs Their Titles Take” instead of its actual name (“Conquering Kings Their Titles Take”). Still, a long lineage of phrases like these remains affixed to his name, whether rightfully attributed or not.

Spoonerisms are errors of speech in which the speaker transposes syllables or consonants, but some people use the word as a synonym for other accidental or purposeful turns of phrase that have more appropriate names. One similar “-ism” is a malapropism, which occurs when you swap a similar-sounding word for another, rather than just initial sounds or consonants. For example, Mrs. Malaprop, a character in the play The Rivals (1775) by Richard Brinsley Sheridan, remarks, “She's as headstrong as an allegory on the banks of the Nile” (instead of alligator).

Other slips of this kind include eggcorns. These forms of misspeak discard the actual etymology or meaning of words by spelling them out exactly as they sound. The name itself provides an example—an “eggcorn” instead of an “acorn.” To compare against a spoonerism, consider the word “expatriate.” As an eggcorn, this would appear as “ex-patriot.” As a spoonerism, you might write it or say it as “pex atriate.”

Spoonerisms occur accidentally and on purpose, whether through genuine misspeaking or for intentional comedic effect. Here are three sets of examples:

1. 1. From children’s literature: The famed children’s poet Shel Silverstein published an entire book of spoonerisms titled Runny Babbit. Brian P. Cleary, another children’s poet and humorous grammar instructor, wrote one poem in which he turns “jelly beans” into the spoonerism “belly jeans.” Parents and teachers might use spoonerisms to help their children learn how to differentiate between appropriate and inappropriate pronunciations of words in a humorous and entertaining way.
2. 2. From public personalities: Plenty of comedians use spoonerisms regularly. British comedian Stanley Unwin deployed spoonerisms, malapropisms, and other forms of wordplay in a personalized language he called “Unwinese.” By lapsing into indiscernibility, he would make crowds roar with laughter. On an accidental level, the 1930s radio broadcaster Harry von Zell once referred to President Herbert Hoover as “Hoobert Heever.”
3. 3. From William Spooner himself: There are plenty of spoonerisms attributed to their namesake, Reverend W.A. Spooner, known for his verbal slips. Among the spoonerisms attributed to him are his remarks that he was departing Oxford by “the town drain” (the down train), that he was “tired of addressing beery wenches” (weary benches), and that at a wedding it was “kistomary to cuss the bride” (customary to kiss the bride).

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