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What is the longest pair of words you can find that rhyme and can also be synonyms / used to describe the same phenomenon?

For instance, spot and dot. The goal is to have the longest total length so this example would be scored as 7. A quick thesaurus check and it can be improved to spot+blot=8. How high can you score?

(If it may be unclear how the two words are synonyms, please provide an explanation and / or example.)

I realize this may turn into a competition for the best dictionary, thesaurus, and programming skills but it should be a challenge either way.

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    $\begingroup$ @humn That would be 20 and hints at a possible weak spot in this question. $\endgroup$
    – Engineer Toast
    Jul 3, 2016 at 2:11
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    $\begingroup$ From a parallel world: english.stackexchange.com/questions/19197/… $\endgroup$
    – humn
    Jul 3, 2016 at 2:17
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    $\begingroup$ I don't know if a word would be considered a rhyme if it's just a subset of another word. Like sandwich and which or witch. $\endgroup$
    – Dr Xorile
    Jul 3, 2016 at 2:25
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    $\begingroup$ @DrXorile The very fair Duchess of Sandwich / Was also known as a left-hand witch. / She turned into bread, / And her husband then said, / "which sandwich witch is the witch Sandwich"? $\endgroup$
    – user88
    Jul 3, 2016 at 5:25
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    $\begingroup$ I’m voting to close this question because without defining "word" it turns into an ill-defined, open-ended puzzle (and open-ended puzzles are off-topic as of May 2019) $\endgroup$
    – bobble
    Oct 29, 2021 at 17:47

7 Answers 7

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Answer:

Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis and silicosis

This might be a bit iffy but this has a score of 54

Not an actual answer below
And if you want to get technical:

Chemical name of Titin
and Protein for a score of 189,826
Sadly this is one is a near miss
Full Word

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    $\begingroup$ Funnily enough, I wouldn't have been able to type that answer without that protein $\endgroup$
    – Areeb
    Jul 3, 2016 at 7:15
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    $\begingroup$ I want to upvote your first answer but can't until you delete that second answer. $\endgroup$
    – user1717828
    Jul 3, 2016 at 11:30
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    $\begingroup$ I want to see @JoeZ. do a Limerick with this one... $\endgroup$
    – Engineer Toast
    Jul 3, 2016 at 15:15
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    $\begingroup$ @EngineerToast There once was a man with scoliosis / Who also contracted silicosis. / But worst of them all, / Was that he did fall / To pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis. $\endgroup$
    – user88
    Jul 3, 2016 at 17:24
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    $\begingroup$ @JoeZ. That is extremely impressive! $\endgroup$
    – Patrick Cook
    Jul 3, 2016 at 18:22
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Since I don't think this is substantially worse than what's been suggested, I'll use it as a legitimate answer:

friggatriskaidekaphobia and paraskevidekatriaphobia

for a score of 46.

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    $\begingroup$ Cool, both are shown at this Wikipedia page: triskaidekaphobia $\endgroup$
    – Jonathan Allan
    Jul 3, 2016 at 4:56
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    $\begingroup$ A man with friggatriskaidekaphobia / also had paraskevidekatriaphobia. / He wondered one Friday / (The 13th 'fore Pi-day), / "Do I also have plain triskaidekaphobia?" $\endgroup$
    – user88
    Jul 3, 2016 at 5:16
  • $\begingroup$ @JoeZ. I know a friend with triskaidekaphobia. Tell me if I'm wrong, but I believe it is a fear of triangles? I don't know what it means when the prefix "figga" is added... $\endgroup$
    – Mr Pie
    Jul 28, 2018 at 7:28
  • $\begingroup$ @user477343 No, it's fear of the number 13. Adding 'frigga-' makes it the fear of Friday the 13th. $\endgroup$
    – nickgard
    Jul 28, 2018 at 8:17
  • $\begingroup$ @nickgard hahah, doing a little bit of research, the phobia of triangles is trianglephobia (seriously). Why was that so hard to remember?? Perhaps I just made a mistake on what the phobia actually was about... $\endgroup$
    – Mr Pie
    Jul 28, 2018 at 8:34
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Current definite best:

$36$
Counterproductiveness Mischievousness
- causing trouble (can't pluralise the former with es like the latter for $40$ unfortunately)

Previous definate best:

$33$:
Internationali$\kern2mu\sf\small\rlap{\raise7mu s}\raise-3mu z \kern1mu$ation Globali$\kern2mu\sf\small\rlap{\raise7mu s}\raise-3mu z \kern1mu$ation

Hmm are either of these actually OK?:

$41$ ($39$ without hyphens):
Self-characteri$\kern2mu\sf\small\rlap{\raise7mu s}\raise-3mu z \kern1mu$ation Self-differentiation

$35$:
Recharacteri$\kern2mu\sf\small\rlap{\raise7mu s}\raise-3mu z \kern1mu$ation Redifferentiation

I thought I had

$34$ with:
Intellectuali$\kern2mu\sf\small\rlap{\raise7mu s}\raise-3mu z \kern1mu$ation Rationali$\kern2mu\sf\small\rlap{\raise7mu s}\raise-3mu z \kern1mu$ation, but Wikipedia disagrees.

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    $\begingroup$ I wouldn't count "counterproductiveness" and "mischievousness" because they don't have the same sounds from the stressed syllable onwards. The only thing they have in common is that they end in "ness". $\endgroup$
    – user88
    Jul 3, 2016 at 5:14
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    $\begingroup$ A little boy of much mischievousness / Was a bastion of counterproductiveness. / His mistress did swear, / To bring him to bear, / On the ramifications of his rambunctiousness. $\endgroup$
    – user88
    Jul 3, 2016 at 5:17
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    $\begingroup$ @JoeZ. no mention of a perfect rhyme requirement, but I hear you. $\endgroup$
    – Jonathan Allan
    Jul 3, 2016 at 5:18
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This pair of words is worth 26 points:

Autobiography (13 letters) and self-biography (also 13 letters not including the hyphen)

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  • $\begingroup$ Are they synonyms or used to describe the same phenomenon? $\endgroup$
    – Jonathan Allan
    Jul 3, 2016 at 2:59
  • $\begingroup$ Good rhyme but how are they synonyms? $\endgroup$
    – Engineer Toast
    Jul 3, 2016 at 3:01
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    $\begingroup$ I'm writing an autobiography, / Which of course shall include much photography. / Every moment I shoot, / The snap shall be put, / Right here in my own self-biography. $\endgroup$
    – user88
    Jul 3, 2016 at 5:21
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    $\begingroup$ Then "Right" would be stressed, and I prefer not to stress the first syllable of a limerick line. $\endgroup$
    – user88
    Jul 3, 2016 at 18:33
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    $\begingroup$ @Peanut also, "this self-biography" could be anyone's self-biography. "Own self biography" isn't entirely redundant. $\endgroup$
    – A N
    Jul 3, 2016 at 19:41
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I have another answer.

Bathmophobia and Climacophobia.

Definitions:

  • Bathmophobia — the fear of observing a steep slope, that of which includes stairs; and

  • Climacophobia — the fear of climbing, or sometimes descending, stairs.

Score:

The words are quite similar and they both rhyme, holding a total score of $25$ points.

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0
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A hill name in New Zealand: 89 + 7 = 96 http://bit.ly/1LryLZK

Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateaturipukakapikimaungahoronukupokaiwhenuakitanatahu Taumata

A village in Wales: 58+8=66 http://bit.ly/29HkOqr

Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwyllllantysiliogogogoch LLanfair

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    $\begingroup$ These don't rhyme. $\endgroup$
    – f''
    Jul 4, 2016 at 12:03
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    $\begingroup$ that name's longer than my thing.. $\endgroup$
    – Alex
    Jul 4, 2016 at 14:50
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I have an answer!

lanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch and boondocks
(They don’t perfectly rhyme but it’s close) 60

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