9 Spoonerisms (and Other Fun Word Mix-Ups)

Ever noticed how, when you're speaking quickly, your brain can’t quite keep up and you end up swapping the first parts of two words? For example, you might intend to say, "You have a cozy little nook here," but instead it comes out as, "You have a nosy little cook here." That mix-up? It’s called a Spoonerism.

Spoonerisms are named after the Reverend William Archibald Spooner, who became famous for unintentionally mixing up words. He would only ever admit to one, but there have been many well-known and amusing Spoonerisms over time. Here are just a few examples.

1. Runny Babbit

Runny Babbit: A Billy Sook, written by Shel Silverstein, is packed with Spoonerisms. For example, "Runny Babbit lent to wunch and heard the saitress say, 'We have some lovely stabbit rew, our special for today.'"

2. Hoober Heever

Herbert Hoover already has a bit of a quirky name, but try saying it 20 times without stumbling! While it’s a harmless joke for most people, it became a big slip-up for radio announcer Harry von Zell. During a birthday tribute to Hoover, after navigating through a long script, Zell’s tongue slipped, and he mistakenly called the President "Hoobert Heever."

"Luckily, the windows were not operative," von Zell joked later. "They were fixed windows, or I would have jumped out." In the end, von Zell’s career didn’t suffer. Interestingly, this isn’t technically a Spoonerism, but a "kniferism," since it swaps the middle syllables, not the beginning sounds.

3. Stifford Crapps

BBC announcer McDonald Hobley encountered a similar issue to Harry von Zell when he had to announce a politician with a tricky name. At the time, Sir Stafford Cripps was serving as the Chancellor of the Exchequer, and Hobley, much to his embarrassment, mistakenly introduced him as "Stifford Crapps."

4. Don't Pet the Sweaty Things

George Carlin fans will likely recognize his humorous saying, "Don't sweat the petty things and don't pet the sweaty things." (A solid piece of advice, honestly.)

5. Kinkering Kongs Their Titles Take

Many Spoonerisms are said to have originated from Reverend Spooner, but the only one he ever admitted to was this one, which misinterprets the title of a well-known hymn: "Kinkering Kongs Their Titles Take." The correct phrase should be, "Conquering Kings Their Titles Take."

6. Apostle Peale

Norman Vincent Peale, a prominent Protestant preacher, was outspoken about his disdain for Adlai Stevenson. In response, Stevenson once playfully used a Spoonerism during a speech, saying, "Speaking as a Christian, I find the Apostle Paul appealing and the Apostle Peale appalling."

7. Rindercella

Archie Campbell, a writer and star of the iconic variety show Hee Haw, was known for his love of Spoonerisms in the show’s skits. One of his most famous performances was his telling of the story of RinderCella, a girl who slopped her dripper, of course. Another memorable one was Beeping Sleauty.

8. Bass-Ackwards

Abraham Lincoln had a clever side when it came to wordplay. In one letter, he wrote, "He said he was riding bass-ackwards on a jass-ack through a patton-crotch." (Although it’s unclear if Lincoln created this line or was quoting someone else.)

9. The Canadian Broadcorping Castration

This one is more of an urban legend. It's never been officially documented, except for a recreation on the record album Pardon My Blooper. The joke, which allegedly was broadcast live on air, about the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation being "the Canadian Broadcorping Castration" has stuck with people, and the CBC is occasionally still referred to by this name, whether or not the story is true.