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Words and Language · entry 52 of 52
Reduplication repeats part of a word for effect, producing everyday terms like chitchat, zigzag, and mishmash.
The longer version
Repeating a word with a small change produces a pair that feels rhythmic: zigzag swaps the opening consonant, chitchat repeats the whole syllable, mishmash keeps the ending and alters the start. The pattern relies on a difference between the halves, since exact repetition means something else in English.
Many languages use full reduplication as grammar, marking plural, repeated action or greater intensity, which is why the device appears so widely in child-directed speech. English borrows it mainly for playful or imitative effect. A modern fashion repeats a noun to signal the plain, unmodified version, as when someone asks for a salad salad rather than a variant.
Where this entry sits
This category gathers small surprises about the English language, from odd spelling rules to words that quietly hide their own history. Expect palindromes, punctuation oddities, borrowed terms, and the strange ways writing systems record spoken speech. The full list sits on the Words and Language page, where every entry is listed in order.
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