Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia

Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia or Sesquipedaliophobia is the fear of long words. It is mostly a joke from the fact that it's a long word itself. The phobia is the second longest word in the English language. Sesquipedalophobia is another term for the phobia.

The American Psychiatric Association doesn’t officially recognize this phobia. Instead, hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia is considered a social phobia.

The latest edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) outlines a very specific definition for social phobias. Medical professionals use the DSM-5 to help them make diagnoses.

According to the DSM-5, criteria for social phobias include:

a fear or anxiety about social situations where a person may be examined, like meeting new people or having a conversation the fear or anxiety is disproportionate to the social situation the fear or anxiety is persistent and the social situation is excessively.