Funny

How to spell funny

5 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce funny

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does funny mean?

1. adjectiveCausing laughter or amusement; comical.
2. adjectiveStrange, odd, or difficult to explain.

Funny in a sentence

• The comedian told a funny story about his first job.

• There was a funny smell coming from the fridge.

• She shared a funny video that had the whole office laughing.

• The car has been making a funny noise since the cold weather started.

Where does funny come from?

Language of origin: Germanic

This word grew directly from the English noun 'fun', which appeared in the late 1600s meaning a trick, a hoax, or a bit of playful diversion. The noun itself may come from an older dialect verb 'fun' or 'fon', meaning to fool or cheat someone, related to the medieval word 'fon' for a foolish person. By the early 1700s writers had added the common adjective ending '-ny' to produce 'funny', meaning amusing or comical. The single 'n' of 'fun' doubles before the suffix because the vowel is short and stressed, a regular English spelling rule that also gives us 'sunny' and 'runny'. Over time 'funny' picked up a second everyday sense of 'odd' or 'strange', so that something funny can either make you laugh or make you suspicious.

How the word is built

• fun (amusement, sport)
• -ny (adjective suffix, doubled n)