
Jess Zafarris and Rob Watts unravel the stories behind everyday words. Want to watch our episodes too? Subscribe to our YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/channel/UC8R3ZnESMdsuTevq4ib9CvA
| Publishes | Weekly | Episodes | 99 | Founded | 2 years ago |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of Listeners | Categories | Society & CultureEducationSelf-Improvement | |||

Willkommen! Jess and Rob are exploring the German words in English. In this Zeitgeisty episode, discover:
👻 What doppelgänger literally means,
📏 The longest German word,
🤧 And why Americans say "Gesundheit!" when they sneeze.
Satisfy your lingu... more
You speak more Latin than you think. Not only are the many French words in English derived from Latin, but almost 30% of our vocabulary comes directly from the language of the Romans. In this episode, Rob and Jess explore how those words got there, w... more
Rob and Jess are taking the deepest of dives into the origins of words from the ocean.
🐟 Are many fish 'fish' or 'fishes'?
🦈 Why is there a mystery around sharks?
🐠 What is a sarcastic fringehead?
These questions answered, and many more, in this s... more
Take a pinch of witchcraft, add a touch of sorcery, and "Hey presto!" you have a wordy nerdy episode about magical terms.
🧙 Can only women be witches?
🔒 What did a warlock originally do?
🪄 What is the literal meaning of 'Alakazam'?
These questio... more
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A comforting joy. It's like hearing very kind and smart friends chat over coffee (or tea).
Jess and Rob work well together. Love hearing the roots of words we use today.
Maybe it’s just the recent topics, but you seem to be injecting much more “politically correct” commentary than you used to = makes the show less entertaining
Like lake chargoggagoggmanchauggagoggchaubunagungamaugg (45 letters long) or hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia (38 letters long) or pseudopseudohypoparathyroidism (29 or 30 something letters) but this overall is the one of the best podcasts I have heard
This podcast is soo fun, I love learning about words! I was wondering about the word Zenzizenzizenzic it describes a number to the 8th power. Where did it come from and why don’t we use it anymore?
Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.










Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.
Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.
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Two linguistics-minded hosts explore word origins, language history, and the quirks of etymology in accessible, conversational episodes. Across recent topics, they cover Latin and its imprint on English, everyday word origins, idioms, word debunking, and cross-cultural influences, all with playful banter and clear explanations. The show stands out for its sunny, approachable tone, research-backed trivia, and a balance between deep-dive roots and broad cultural context that appeals to word enthusiasts, educators, and curious lifelong learners alike.
What makes this series notable is the duo's dynamic chemistry, a steady focus on practical etymology, and a bias toward entertaining, family-friendly language exploration that still dives into sc... more
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These podcasts share a similar audience with Words Unravelled:
1. The Rest Is Science
2. Lingthusiasm - A podcast that's enthusiastic about linguistics
3. A Problem Squared
4. No Such Thing As A Fish
5. The History of English Podcast
Words Unravelled launched 2 years ago and published 99 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.
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Recent guests on Words Unravelled include:
1. Valerie Fridland
2. Danny Bate
3. John McWhorter
4. Joshua Blackburn
5. Mignon Fogarty
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