A spoonerism is an occurrence of speech in which corresponding consonants, vowels, or morphemes are switched (see metathesis) between two words of a phrase. [1][a] These are named after the Oxford don and priest William Archibald Spooner, who reportedly commonly spoke in this way.

Jan 5, 2024 · What Is a Spoonerism? A spoonerism is a sound transposition that mixes sounds in a short phrase involving two or more words. It occurs when an individual uses a phrase or word’s initial sounds interchangeably. People may switch parts of …

The meaning of SPOONERISM is a transposition of usually initial sounds of two or more words (as in tons of soil for sons of toil). How to use spoonerism in a sentence.

Feb 12, 2020 · A spoonerism (pronounced SPOON-er-izm) is a transposition of sounds (often the initial consonants) in two or more words, such as " sh oving l eopard" in place of "loving …

Dec 16, 2020 · If you've ever accidentally mixed up the sounds of letters or syllables from one word to another when trying to utter a phrase, you've committed a spoonerism. Technically linguistic errors, spoonerisms occur quite frequently in everyday conversation.

A Spoonerism is a word or phrase that is formed by transposing the initial sounds of two or more other words. For example, ‘A block of flats’ would be ‘Spoonerised’ to become ‘a flock of bats’.

Feb 25, 2025 · A spoonerism occurs when the sounds at the beginning of two or more words become switched, like “lack of pies” instead of “pack of lies,” and it typically happens with consonants more than vowels.

Spoonerism, reversal of the initial letters or syllables of two or more words, such as “I have a half-warmed fish in my mind” (for “half-formed wish”) and “a blushing crow” (for “a crushing blow”). The word was derived from the name of William Archibald Spooner (1844–1930), a …

SPOONERISM definition: 1. a mistake made when speaking in which the first sounds of two words are exchanged with each…. Learn more.

Mar 21, 2025 · Ever meant to say one thing, but something else pops out of your mouth? Spoonerisms are sort of similar. Here’s curious story of how the word spoonerism was invented—and some fun with words.