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Looking for examples of playful wordplay? This literary device can add humor and spice to your writing.
As a content creator and a person who likes to laugh, I appreciate a good play on words.
Puns can be both common and meaningful, and can also cause some confusion. The genius of memorable words lies in the “aha” moment they trigger.
Comedian George Carlin once said, “Some people see the glass half full. Others see it half empty. I see a glass that's twice as big as it needs to be.”
Whether the cup is half full or half empty, let's fill it with some playful puns and tangible examples.
Let's get started!
What is a pun?
Have you heard of the guy who did a play about puns? It was a pun.
And that's essentially your definition of pun. The double entendre. A form of wordplay. A literary device that relies on ambiguity and alternative meanings to create a humorous effect.
Now that we've covered the basic definition, let's look at the most common types.
Pun Intended: 3 Types of Puns You Can Use in Your Creative Writing
There are different types of puns, but the three most popular are homophonic, homographic and compound puns.
Homophone puns Create playfulness by using a similar-sounding word with multiple meanings.
In the sentence “You can tune a guitar, but you can't tuna,” the words “tune” and “tuna” are used interchangeably, but the meanings are different. “Son” and “sun” or “rain” and “reign” are other funny examples.
A Homographic pun uses words that are spelled the same but have completely different meanings.
As a noun, the word “fly” refers to the insect. As a verb, it means “to fly.” Not to mention that “fly” can also refer to the zipper area of your pants.
Compound word games are sentences that contain more than one pun. They give the same phrase both literal and figurative meanings.
An example of this is “Oblique angles are often small because they are never right angles.”
Now let’s take a closer look at why you came here…
18 pun examples to get you on the right track
For a pun to really work, it needs to strike a balance between obviousness and confusion. If it's too obvious, it lacks humor. If it's too confusing, the reader will rack their brains until it hurts.
Let’s have some fun and dive deeper into our examples…
Examples of word games from everyday life
1. I'm reading a book about anti-gravity. I can't put it down.
Subtle, with a dash of common sense and confusion. The aha moment comes in both the senses of “can't put it down.”
Metaphorically, you know how hard it is to put down a captivating book. Without gravity, the book literally floats when you try to put it down.
2. This girl said she knew me from the vegetarian club, but I've never met herbivores
By changing the pronunciation of the “h” in “herbivore,” the word now takes on a different meaning.
In the context of an unrecognizable person in a vegetarian club, this slight variation is the spice of this pun.
3. Broken pencils are useless.
This example uses the double meaning of pointless.
Structurally, a broken pencil cannot write.
Functionally, a pencil without a tip serves no purpose.
“Stay tuned” for funny pun examples from movies
4. “If it’s not baroque, don’t fix it”
Many animated films use puns to create humor. In Disney's Beauty and the Beast, the clock character, Ringo, talks to Mrs. Potts and the candle, Limiere.
In the background is a baroque painting by Vermeer, to which he adds the imaginative remark “If it is not baroque, do not repair it”.
5. “I think he got it”
In the movie Thunderball, James Bond (Sean Connery) fights against a villain armed with a gun. Bond finds a harpoon and shoots the villain.
When Bond sees the villain stuck to a tree, he turns to his companion and says: “I think he got it.”
6. “And don’t call me Shirley”
This classic example comes from the 1980 comedy Airplane. Leslie Nielson's character Dr. Rumack asks war veteran and current taxi driver Ted Striker, “Can you fly and land this plane?”
Striker replies: “You can’t be serious.”
With dry wit and perfect timing, Nielsen delivers the unforgettable “I mean it… and don’t call me Shirley!”
Amusingly simple word play examples to inspire you to write
7. I wondered why the ball got bigger. Then I remembered!
Ouch. The ambiguity of this clever play on words is the double meaning of “then it hit me.”
It literally seemed like the ball was getting bigger because it was getting closer.
Figuratively speaking, he had the idea that the ball was getting bigger because it was getting closer – but by then it was too late.
8. No matter how much you push the boundaries, it's still stationery
The phrase “pushing the limits,” popular among test pilots, is another way of expressing testing boundaries.
While the envelope we often refer to can be purchased at an office supply store, the double meaning of this compound pun makes for a priceless example of wordplay.
9. I wanted to buy camouflage pants but couldn't find any
It can be difficult to find something that blends in with its surroundings, let alone camouflage pants.
Really good camouflage is hard to find.
Not an everyday English lesson: Examples of funny word games for students
10. If you're ever looking for a big boat or ark, I'm the Noah guy.
Maybe you “know” someone who could build you a big boat or an ark?
By slightly changing the pronunciation of the word “Noah,” this homophonic pun causes some giggles and confusion.
11. I'm thinking about becoming a doctor, but I'm afraid I won't have the patience
The double meaning of the word patience is the ambiguous aspect of this pun.
A doctor without “patience” runs the risk of losing many patients. Likewise, a doctor without “patients” will lose money and have to close his practice.
In this context, remember that it takes some courage to be an organ donor.
12. I am good friends with 25 letters of the alphabet. I don't know Y.
There are two letters in the English alphabet that can serve as homophone questions: “R” or “are” and “Y” or “why.”
This playful play on words removes the “Y” from his friends list. The reason has a double meaning: lack of reason and/or unknown.
Examples of puns in literature that would make Oscar Wilde laugh
13. “Denial is not just a river in Egypt.”
Although it's difficult to determine its true origin, this popular pun is often attributed to Mark Twain. The interchangeable pronunciation of “De-Nial” makes this homographic pun both amusing and ingenious.
Although “the Nile” is a river in Egypt, this play on words puts a clever twist on the inability to acknowledge truth or recognize facts.
14. “My story is long and sad!” said the Mouse, turning to Alice and sighing. “It really is a long story,” said Alice, looking in wonder at the Mouse's tail. “But why do you call it sad?”
It's easy to see why Alice from Alice in Wonderland was confused.
Did the mouse talk about its tail or its life story?
By playfully mixing the two words “tale” and “tail,” Lewis Carroll created a clever play on words that has stood the test of time for centuries.
15. “Ask for me tomorrow and you will find that I am an honorable man.”
This pun comes from William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. After the character Mercutio is stabbed, he turns to Romeo and utters these “heavy” words.
Did he mean “grave” in the sense of serious danger? Or was the wound fatal and will he face an early grave?
William Shakespeare also transferred his love of wordplay to other plays, including Richard III.
In the line “Now is the winter of our discontent / This son of York has made it a glorious summer,” he uses the double meaning of the word “son” to create a sense of confusion.
Terrible puns (and dad jokes) that will make you think
16. The dyslexic man goes into a bra
Dyslexia is characterized by difficulty learning to read. This play on words makes good use of the (as we know) irregular arrangement of letters in the word bar.
The man who couldn't spell thought he was going to a bar. What isn't mentioned in this story is that he was later kicked out for spitting in the tip jar ????.
17. What did the buffalo say to his son when he left the house? Bison
As a father, this joke is guaranteed to make my daughter roll her eyes every time.
By creatively changing the pronunciation of the word “bison,” we go from saying goodbye to an animal to saying goodbye to a child.
It's good that he has a thick skin.
18. A chicken crossing the road is actually poultry in motion
While not quite a true homophone, replacing “poetry” with “poetry” adds a certain confusion and playfulness to this pun example.
Although chickens are not exactly known for their moving poetry, they have nevertheless been the subject of many creative animal jokes.
Add some playful pun examples to leave your mark
Adding creative, fun puns is a great way to spice up your writing.
Oscar Wilde once said, “Life is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that’s all.”
The same can be said about writing.
Don't let your texts just exist. Add some clever and witty wordplay to them.
It's a great way to bring your writing to life!
This post was originally published on May 23, 2023 by Jason Shea. It has been updated for clarity and comprehensiveness.
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