Words / P / General

paronomasia

noun/ˌpærənəˈmeɪziə/

C2CEFR level
96/100Rarity: very rare
TechnicalRegister

Wordplay that exploits words alike in sound but different in meaning; punning.

The comedy's title is a groan-inducing feat of paronomasia.

Similar: punning

Topic: Literature & the arts in General English

Rarity runs from 0 (a word everyone knows) to 100 (almost never seen outside specialist or literary writing). Level is the word's real difficulty on the CEFR scale, from A1 to C2.

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More general words: Literature & the arts