What are some unusual words?

Answer 1

Depending on where you live and other factors, you may consider some words to be unusual that others do not.

• Taumatawhakatangi-hangakoauauotamatea-turipukakapikimaunga-horonukupokaiwhenuaki-tanatahu (translates as: the summit of the hill, where Tamatea, who is known as the land eater, slid down, climbed up and swallowed mountains, played on his nose Flute to his loved one)

• Many old English words, no longer in use, might be considered unusual in modern times (e.g. damsel in distress, knave, jester, castle keep)
• Your name spelled backwards (although it probably isn't a 'real' word)
• Whatchamacallit (What do you call it?)
• defenselessness
• hippotpotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia- the fear of long words
• dioxyribonucleic acid
• endoplasmic reticulum
• antidisestablishmentarianism

The following words are in English dictionaries, but are rarely used, or their meanings are quite different from what one would expect:

• annodated
• egregious
• enervate
• exsuffolate
• gibbous
• numbat
• ouroboros
• peroration
• pilcrow
• quotidian
• yurt

Answer 2

Some unusual words include "bumfuzzle" (to confuse or perplex), "cattywampus" (askew or awry), "petrichor" (smell of rain on dry earth), and "callipygian" (having shapely buttocks).