10 Weird 5 Letter Words

English is a beautiful language; it is spoken by close to two billion people worldwide and has about 200,000 words that are currently in use. However, there is more than meets the eye. English has over 1 million total words, and I’m sure you don’t know most of them. There exist weird words due to their spelling, pronunciation, meaning, or origin.

There are long and complex words that are fascinating, and there are short weird words as well. Here are 10 weird 5-letter words:

• Xertz

Pronounced as “zerts,” this word means ‘to gulp something down quickly or in a greedy manner. 

Xertz is mostly used to describe drinking something hastily, but it may also describe someone eating quickly. 

Example in a sentence: “As soon as we finished practice, I needed to xertz a bottle of water.”

The word’s spelling, pronunciation and meaning make it a weird 5-letter word.

• Queue

Yes, the word queue is among weird words.

We all know what a queue is; it’s a line or sequence of people awaiting their turn to proceed or to be attended to. 

The word is weird because it has 5 letters, 4 of which are vowels, but it is pronounced exactly as a single letter, ‘Q’ [kyu]. The 4 vowels in the word seem unnecessary in some way since they are not pronounced. The series of 4 vowels is often viewed as some form of onomatopea describing a line.

The first ‘U’ in the word is there to support the convention that, in English, ‘Q’ is always followed by a ‘U.’ The ‘E’ that follows is there in support of the convention that the ‘U’ is always followed by a vowel. The sound to follow is U, which is written UE, thus queue.

• Oorie

“Oorie” is an adjective with a Scottish origin. It means gloomy, dismal, or chilled with cold. It is pronounced as ‘uːrɪ.’

It is a variant spelling of ‘ourie.’ The two words also mean “a depressing environment.” 

Both variations of the word are weirdly spelled and pronounced closely to the word ‘eerie,’ which means strange and frightening. Although dissimilar, these words have a close resemblance both in form and in meaning. 

• Aecia

Pronounced ˈiːsɪə,’ aecia are specialized reproductive structures found in some plant pathogenic rest fungi that produce aeciospores. 

The word is derived from Greek ‘aikia’ which means injury. These cup-like structures of the fungi are so called because of the damage the fungi cause.

The word is weird due to its Greek origin, spelling, and pronunciation.

• Looie

Looie is an official slang for a lieutenant of the armed forces. The word, pronounced as ‘lu:i’ or ‘loo-ee,’ is also spelt as ‘looey’ or ‘louie.’ These variant spellings are pronounced the same way and they all consists of 5 letters. 

It is weird that the word looie, and all its variations, are slang for lieutenant, since its translation from its English origin means “famous warrior.” 

• Oidia

Pronounced as ‘oh-id-ee-uh,’ this word refers to a type pf fungal spore formed by the breaking up of fungal hyphae into cells, especially as produced by powdery mildews. The powdery mildew causes a fungal disease that affects vines. 

The word has a Latin origin from the oo- + -idia diminutive suffix.

• Cooee

Cooee refers to a cry to attract attention or give warning, especially at a distance. It is pronounced as ‘ku:i.’ 

Cooee is a shout originating in Australia where it was used to attract attention to find missing people or indicate one’s own location. 

The word is an onomatopea of the actual sound made by Aboriginal Australians. ‘Coo-ee’ was typically expressed as a long, loud call ending in a shrill rising inflection of the ‘ee’.

It is less commonly spelt as “cooey.” 

• Aioli

Pronounced as ‘ahy-oh-lee’, this word refers to a mayonnaise flavored with garlic and olive oil, and sometimes other ingredients. 

Both the sauce and the name have Catalan and Provenance origins. The name ‘aioli’ itself is a compound of the words ‘garlic’ and ‘oil’ in Provencal and Catalan languages. 

• Ouija

This word is not only weird in its spelling and pronunciation, it is also associated with weird occurrences.

Pronounced as ‘wee-juh’, Ouija is a device consisting of a small board resting on a larger board marked with words, letters and other signs, and that some people believe can be used to communicate with the spirits of dead people. The Ouija board is popularly believed to be dangerous as it can invite demonic entities into one’s life or lead to possession. 

Ouija is a weird word since there is a sharp contradiction between the horror stories associated with it today and the origin of the word. The creator of the board, Charles Kennard, claimed to have learned the name “Ouija” from using the board and that it was an ancient Egyptian word meaning “good luck”. However, Ouijas are far from being associated with good luck are instead associated with mysterious demonic occurrences.

•  Adieu

Adieu is an expression of good wishes when someone leaves. It is the French word for ‘goodbye’ and is commonly used in English. 

It is mostly used in a dramatic farewell, such as when someone is about to die ___ notice the word ‘die’ in adieu. In French, the word literally means “to God”, thus its use in dramatic farewells, such as when someone is about to die.

There you have it, some of the weirdest 5 letter words in the English language. I hope you can use them someday to expand your vocabulary (or win that game of scrabble). And now, without further ado, bid this article adieu.