Week 0️⃣ 1️⃣
Reduplication
📽️ Slideshow
🔊 Audio
📜 Show transcript
Humdrum, tip-top, flip-flop. These playful expressions may sound spontaneous, but they belong to a fascinating linguistic pattern known as reduplication. In English, reduplication creates new words or phrases by repeating sounds, either exactly or with a slight variation. The result is often memorable, rhythmic, and easy to use.
The most straightforward form is exact reduplication, where the element is repeated without change. Bye-bye is a familiar and friendly way to say farewell. No-no is used for something that must not be done. Goody-goody describes a person who behaves in a way that seems overly proper or virtuous, sometimes to the point of irritation. These words are short, emphatic, and instantly recognisable.
A second type is rhyming reduplication. In this pattern, the second part of the word changes but maintains a rhyme. Humdrum refers to something boring or routine. Hocus-pocus suggests trickery, nonsense, or deception. Super-duper exaggerates praise, meaning “very good” in a light-hearted way. These forms feel informal and playful, and they add colour to everyday conversation.
Perhaps the most striking is ablaut reduplication, which relies on vowel change. English shows a strong preference for the sequence:
That is why native speakers naturally say flip-flop rather than flop-flip, zig-zag instead of zag-zig, and tick-tock rather than tock-tick. The rule is rarely taught, yet almost universally obeyed.
Reduplicated expressions are more than curiosities. They create rhythm, add emphasis, and stick in the memory. Many appear in advertising slogans or brand names precisely because they are catchy. Others belong to informal registers, making speech feel more relaxed and expressive. Hidden beneath their playful surface is a consistent linguistic structure that reveals how sound and meaning interact in English.
📺 Video
🔑 Key Vocabulary
Exact reduplication
- boo-boo: a small mistake or a minor injury (esp. with children)
- bye-bye: a casual way of saying goodbye
- chin chin: a toast when drinking; similar to “cheers”
- choo-choo: the sound of a train; also used by children to mean a train
- frou-frou: very fancy or frilly decoration
- goody-goody: someone overly well-behaved or eager to please authority
- night-night: a way of saying goodnight (esp. to a child)
- no-no: something not allowed or socially unacceptable
- pee-pee: childish term for urination
- so-so: neither very good nor very bad; average
- wee-wee: childish term for urination
- yum-yum: used to say something tastes delicious
Ablaut reduplication
- bish bash bosh: said to suggest something was done quickly and easily
- chit chat: casual talk or gossip
- clip clop: the sound of hooves hitting the ground
- criss cross: to move or mark in a crossing pattern
- dilly dally: to waste time or move slowly
- ding dong: the ringing sound of a bell; sometimes a noisy quarrel
- fiddle faddle: trivial nonsense or fuss
- flip flop: a change of opinion; also a type of sandal
- flim flam: trickery or deceitful nonsense
- hip hop: music & culture (rap, DJing, breaking, graffiti)
- jibber jabber: fast, meaningless talk
- jingle jangle: light ringing or clinking sounds
- King Kong: the famous giant ape character
- knick knack: a small ornament or trinket
- mish mash: a confused mixture of things
- ping pong: table tennis
- pitter patter: the sound of light steps or raindrops
- riff raff: people considered disreputable or low-class
- sing song: informal group singing
- splish splash: the sound of water being moved about
- tic-tac-toe: paper-and-pencil game with Xs and Os
- tick tock: the sound of a clock
- tip top: of the highest quality
- wishy-washy: weak, indecisive, lacking strength
- zig zag: a line/path changing direction sharply
Rhyming reduplication
- dilly dally: to waste time or move slowly
- easy peasy: very simple or easy
- hanky panky: dishonest behaviour or sexual activity
- heebie jeebies: a feeling of nervousness or fear
- higgledy-piggledy: in a messy or disorganised way
- hippity hoppity: moving with quick hopping steps
- hocus pocus: trickery, nonsense, meaningless talk
- hokey pokey: a playful dance; in some places, a type of ice cream
- hurdy gurdy: stringed instrument played with a crank
- hurly burly: noisy confusion or commotion
- itsy bitsy: very small
- lovey dovey: showing lots of romantic affection
- mumbo jumbo: language or activity that seems complicated or meaningless
- nitty gritty: the most important/basic details
- okey dokey: informal way of saying “okay”
- razzle dazzle: showy or flashy display meant to impress
- silly billy: a playful way of calling someone silly
- teeny weeny: extremely small
- trolley dolly: slang for a flight attendant
- walkie talkie: handheld two-way radio
- willy nilly: without choice or order; haphazardly
- wishy-washy: weak, indecisive, lacking strength
💬 Conversation Questions
- What is a no-no in your country?
- When might you say “yum-yum”?
- Do you know anyone who dilly-dallies? What do they do?
- Do you like hip hop music? Why or why not?
- Do you wear flip-flops? When?
- Are you good at ping pong?
- What gives you the heebie-jeebies?
- Have you ever played tic-tac-toe? Who usually wins?
- What makes you go zig-zag?
- Who do you know that is a goody-goody?