Great Uncle Fred? Me and my brother have had an argument because he thinks really easy words like `Mississippi` and `indestructability` are harder to say than words like `remember` and `humorous` which I think are harder even though they are shorter. Actually, we had a fight about it. What do you think is the hardest word? (Joanna, Spring 2008)

Well, Joanna, if you don`t mind me saying, I think it would be better to say, `My brother and I` rather than, `Me and my brother`. Is that old-fashioned of me to say that? It`s more correct and it sounds politer to your brother even though I suspect you are not feeling like being polite to him at the moment. Anyway, I am surprised by the examples of words you both find hard to say as I imagine that most people would find all four words perfectly easy. But that just goes to show... I often stumble over the word `marmalade` which you probably think is a really easy word. As for words which everyone might find hard, you might think that the hardest would be something so long that you get lost in it like "Antidisestablishmentarianismically", or "Floccipaucinihilipilification" (which means "the action of estimating as worthless"), or something medical like "Neurofibromatosis" or "Meningococcal" or "Diarrhoea". Or you might think that the hardest word was hidden somewhere in a tongue-twister (did you know that they are called "Finger Fumblers" in sign language?) like, "The sixth sick sheikh`s sheep`s sick". But actually, no. The hardest word, and here one must show oneself in agreement with such interesting and acclaimed philosophers as Sir Elton John and Madam Celene Dion, is "SORRY". Even when you know you were in the wrong and you know that the whole problem would be solved if you were to utter that word, it can be very difficult to do so. This is a matter of pride. Also, all of us, however bad we are, even those of us who have done really really bad things, we all believe that ultimately we were in the right all along. (Even people who have done really really bad things think this.) And as "sorry" is worse than worthless if you say it without meaning it (it can be all too easy a word to say with insincerity), there is a big hump of reluctance to get over if we are ever going to say the word for real. In fact, it`s such a hard word that often it`s quite impossible. But I am sure that in the case of you and your beloved brother, it will not prove impossible at all!

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