KnowraPunPunA form of wordplay that exploits multiple meanings of a word or similar-sounding words for humorous or rhetorical effect.BriefConnectPolysemy: The coexistence of multiple related meanings within one word. A pun can activate two related senses of the same word at once.Paronomasia: A rhetorical figure that uses similar-sounding words for a play on meaning. This is the sound-based form of punning in which resemblance drives the effect.One-liner: A short joke delivered in a single sentence or phrase. A compact pun can supply the entire setup and payoff of a one-liner.Romeo and Juliet: A tragedy by William Shakespeare about two young lovers from feuding families in Verona. Mercutio’s dying wordplay turns a literal wound into a joke about a social gathering.Homonymy: The relation between words that share a form but have distinct meanings or origins. Puns often exploit words that sound or look alike despite different meanings.Double entendre: An expression with two interpretations, often one innocent and another risqué. A pun can use a double entendre to make both readings available at once.Wordplay in literature: The deliberate use of linguistic ambiguity and verbal patterning in literary works. Literary puns can develop character, theme, or multiple layers of interpretation.Much Ado About Nothing: A Shakespearean comedy driven by deception, courtship, and misunderstandings. Its title plays on the similar sounds of “nothing” and a sexual euphemism of Shakespeare’s time.Homophone: A word that has the same pronunciation as another word but a different meaning or spelling. Homophones let a pun substitute one meaning for another through sound alone.Spoonerism: A speech error or wordplay that swaps the initial sounds of two words. Swapping sounds can produce a comic phrase with meanings absent from the intended wording.Show all 22Linked from 5 pagesWordplayBroader topic: This familiar form of wordplay turns ambiguity or sound resemblance into a joke.AsterixRelated: Character names and dialogue make sound-based jokes a signature of the series.WitBroader topic: Puns show how a single word choice can make wit depend on double meaning.JokeBroader topic: It is a specific wordplay-based joke rather than a broad joke structure.Show all 5