Countdown: Susie Dent’s Twitter history’s 10 most popular words of the day revealed including ‘sparple’

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Susie Dent’s Twitter’s 10 most popular words of the day have been revealed, according to a new analysis.

Susie Dent, Britain’s best-known lexicographer and etymologist, is known to share her words of the day on her Twitter account - as she shares her knowledge on obscure English words. But what are the most popular words that have received hundreds and thousands of reactions from the Twittersphere?

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According to a recent analysis by word search engine Unscamblerer.com, the Channel 4’s Countdown presenter’s history revealed the most popular word of the day to be ‘ingordigiousness’ - meaning extreme greed, an insatiable desire for wealth at any cost, which received 141,387 likes.

The second most popular word of the day is ‘maw-worm’ from the 19th century, meaning one who insists that they have done nothing wrong, despite evidence to the contrary, which received 114,681 likes.

Dent, who on some occasions uses Word of the Day as an opportunity to comment on contemporary issues, also received 109,082 likes for the word ‘sparple’, meaning to deflect unwanted attention from one thing by making a big deal of another.

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A spokesperson for Unscramblerer.com said: "Susie Dent sometimes uses current events to post a word of the day that is relevant to what is happening in the UK. This is why her most popular words of the day are likely also related to past events where she really understood the mood of the crowd.

“A great example of this is the word ‘maw-worm’ posted on April 12, 2022 her most retweeted word of the day ever. In general people love unique and obscure words they have never heard before. It spikes curiosity and it is really fun trying to use such words yourself. Resulting in people laughing and then asking what does ‘snollygoster’ mean?"

Susie Dent’s most popular words of the day 

So what are the other popular words on Twitter that she has shared so far? Below is the full list:

  1. ‘Ingordigiousness’: extreme greed; an insatiable desire for wealth at any cost. (141,387 likes) 
  2. Maw-worm’ (19th century): one who insists that they have done nothing wrong, despite evidence to the contrary. (114,681 likes) 
  3. ‘Sparple’ (14th century): to deflect unwanted attention from one thing by making a big deal of another. (109,082 likes) 
  4. ‘Recrudescence’ (17th century): the return of something unpleasant after a period of relief. (103,422 likes) 
  5. ‘Malversation’ (16th century): the corrupt administration of power. (92,425 likes) 
  6. ‘Filipendulous’ (19th century): hanging by a thread. (88,913 likes) 
  7. ‘Circumlocutionist’: one who consistently speaks in a roundabout way in order to avoid addressing a question directly. (77,277 likes) 
  8. Spuddle’ (17th century): to work ineffectively; to be extremely busy whilst achieving absolutely nothing. (75,219 likes) 
  9. ‘Sequaciousness’ (17th century): the blinkered, unreasoning, and slavish following of another, no matter where it leads. (69,710 likes) 
  10. ‘Zugzwang [tzoog-tzwung]: a situation in chess (and life) in which a move must be made, but each possible one will make the situation worse. (68,422 likes)   
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