The Made-Up Words Project Is Going to Be a Book! Submit Your Own Made-Up Word

The Made-Up Words Project

A really fun announcement for all the wordsmiths and language-loving people out there (most of you reading this): Illustrator Rinee Shah’s Made-Up Words Project will be coming at you in book form next spring! Plus, we’re publishing it! (Don’t even care that we used double the exclamation marks.)

If you’ve never heard of the Made-Up Words Project, join the folks at BuzzFeed, Mashable, and the Huffington Post and visit it right this minute. The project catalogues the unique vocabulary we’ve all created with our family and friends over the years—as awesomely silly as it may be. Rinee then pairs submitted words with her own equally whimsical illustrations, resulting in a visual dictionary that allows us to see the world in new and unexpected ways. Ever set your eyes on “broccoli nuts”? Or maybe when someone “schtoons”? You probably have, and your family (or pals) may call it something completely different.

As lovers of words, we’re really pumped for this release and want you to be a part of it too!

Submit YOUR OWN made-up word to madeupwordsproject@gmail.com. Selected words will be included in the published book, and people who submitted words will be credited. Also, please answer these questions in your submission:

  1. Is there a word or phrase that your parents or relatives made up and frequently used while you were growing up? A silly word that your family considered normal vernacular, but you later realized was totally made up?
  2. What does it mean?
  3. Can you use it in a sentence?
  4. Is there a story behind the origin of it?
  5. What is your hometown?

For more info on how to submit, go here. Deadline to submit is Tuesday, July 1.

Nurdeling - The Made-Up Words Project
Nurdeling. Definition: Sticking your cold feed under someone’s butt on the couch.
Wild Cat Eyes - The Made-Up Words Project
Wild Cat Eyes. Definition: Eggs sunny side up.
Oingo Boingo - The Made-Up Words Project
Oingo Boingo. Definition: The stretchy cheese that lingers when you take a bite of pizza.

Definitely “Share” this info with your family and friends—the more submissions, the better!

Now go forth and submit your made-up word. Or, go forth and wordarize. (We just made that word up right now.)

One comment

  1. I’m so excited that we’ll be publishing this book! Such a fun concept.

    — Sara Hartman on

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