The create-a-word game

'I have to sharpen it?'

DEFINITION: An often debilitating condition characterized by compulsive, repetitive and obsessive reading of product documentation and warranties.

Create | Read

Verbotomy: How to Play

Verbotomy is about creating words.

Every day we create a new definition and matching cartoon. Your challenge is to create a word -- a verboticism -- that matches the definition. After you create your verboticism, you can vote for other authors's words to help select the winning verboticism for the definition.

If you want more details, click on each step listed below.

1. Read the definition

Each day we publish a new definition and cartoon on the site.

2. Create a new word

After you read the definition, try to think of a new word — a verboticism — that would be a perfect fit.

The new verboticism must be all letters (a-z), all-one-word, with no spaces, dashes, numbers, or special characters.

Ideally your new verboticism will not match any existing dictionary-words (i.e., it is new and different), but this is not an absolute requirement.

The best verboticisms are pronounceable, and hint at the meaning.

3. Save your word

When you submit your verboticism, you will get an instant verbotometry. This rates your verboticism based on its spelling, match to existing dictionary-words, and uniqueness.

Your verboticism may be a unique. Or, it may match a verboticism already submitted by another writer. Authors of matching verboticism will automatically be joined together as co-creators of the word. (Each co-creator will get equal credit.)

Once you are happy with your verboticism, save it.

VERBOTOMICS:
After you save your verboticism, you can add notes to clairify the pronounciation, show sample use in a sentence, and explain its etymology — the root words or creative inspiration. (Each creator of the verboticism can edit these notes.)

4. Vote for your favorite words

Each author gets two votes, but you cannot vote for your own word.