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Two Methods:Immerse Yourself in LanguageMake the Pun

"You have dancing shoes with nimble soles. I have a soul of lead so stakes me to the ground I cannot move."
- Shakespeare, Romeo & Juliet Act I, Scene iv

Rumack: Can you fly this plane, and land it?
Ted Striker: Surely you can't be serious.
- Airplane

Creative wordplay has long pushed the bounds of humor in language. Paronomasia, better known to most of us as making puns, is defined by Merriam-Webster as "the usually humorous use of a word in such a way as to suggest two or more of its meanings or the meaning of another word similar in sound," has provided extensive fodder within the canon of Western literature and popular sayings ("A hangover is the wrath of grapes"). But make no misteak, a pun well done can be either tasteful or unpalatable depending on the quality and the context of the situation. Puns are a grate way to shed tears of laughter from people and sprinkle some lighthearted cheddar into the mix. However, they can also induce groaning, sighing, and eye rolls. Regardless of the direction you choose to take them, here's an easy-to-follow guide on how to merge the pun into your train of thought.


Method 1 of 2: Immerse Yourself in Language

  1. Become a Hairstylist Step 1.jpg
    Understand the anatomy of a pun. Puns are words that have an indirect correlation to a specific context, which are usually humorous. Puns can also involve words that sound almost alike but not quite, such as a direct rhyme or an imperfect rhyme like hear and hare.
    • See and sea, teem and team, dear and deer are all examples of homonyms.
  2. Make a Pun Step 2.jpg
    Study language. It doesn't have to be a rigorous exegetical examination into texts of towering historical importance. Simply take note of the words and phrases you hear or read daily and thoughtfully consider what makes them effective. Even reading Harry Potter or People magazine can provide a template of words and phrases to build upon.
    • Learning sayings and proverbs such as "All that glitters is not gold" or "There's more than one way to skin a cat" will provide you with an arsenal of useful material to tap into.
    • If someone has a lot of corn, knowing that a single piece of corn is called an ear can lead to "I bet you're up to your ears in corn!"
  3. Make a Pun Step 3.jpg
    Learn to make connections among seemingly unrelated concepts. The root of creativity lies within finding the hidden relationship between subjects that are, on the surface, completely separate.
    • "I went to a seafood disco last week... and pulled a muscle" humorously bridges the two concepts of dancing and eating mussels.

Method 2 of 2: Make the Pun

  1. Make a Pun Step 4.jpg
    Listen intently to the conversation. A good listener will recognize an opportunity when it is presented. A true pun expert can find an opportunity in almost any conversation.
  2. Make a Pun Step 5.jpg
    Identify the right moment. The time to insert a good pun is when something humorous occurs or an amusing anecdote is told, providing the chance to comment on the action.
    • For instance, saying "I guess you fell a little behind" is useful if another person brings up a story about how a backwards physical stumble interfered with their routine.
  3. Make a Pun Step 6.jpg
    Think of a few words that fit the situation. As quickly as you can, think up synonyms that have homonyms or similarly rhyming words. Try to find appropriate sayings or ideas that you can turn into a pun, such as "Do you want some cheese to go with your whine?"
    • If a friend is struggling with tin foil, you can interject with "foiled again!"

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  • Don't let the opportunity pass. Comedic timing is everything. If you let the context of the pun go cold by waiting too long, it won't matter how good the pun is. It will fall flat. Be sure to pounce at exactly the right moment.
  • Be realistic about the limitations of the pun. The pun is often considered one of the cheapest forms of humor, and many bad puns abound freely and unchecked. Let it be known to your audience that you are in on the terribleness of the pun you just delivered. Often the humor comes not from the pun itself but the poor quality of the pun. This invites others person into the shared experience of enjoying the bad pun through self deprecation - just like watching a low budget horror movie can bring people together.
  • If you're a writer, experiment with using them in your writing. Poetry especially invites this kind of wordplay with its frequent use of metaphor. Shakespeare was well known for his many, many puns, some of them quite knotty. More modern writers and poets have made great use of it as well. In Robert Frost's poem "Mending Wall," the narrator asks "to whom I was like to give offense." Give offense can also sound like give a fence, which is the subject of the poem.
  • Practice. Your first pun probably won't be your best. Neither will your second, fifth, or even your thirteenth.


  • Similarly, make sure that the setting is appropriate. Solemn occasions and professional work environments inevitably demand a level of seriousness incompatible with the nature of the pun. Reserve your puns for casual settings only.
  • Make sure the pun is age appropriate. Letting go of a perverted pun in the presence of a fifth grader could lead to your pleading the fifth when his or her mother catches wind of your obnoxiousness.
  • Don't go overboard. Nothing sinks a joke quite like repetition. Being the one who always remarks about how the circus is "in tents!" or that the new pirate movie is rated "Arrrgh!!!" will probably not win you too many friends. Don't assume that for every person you meet it will be the first time they've heard your pun.
  • Know your audience. A pun can be too subtle for some. Not everyone is attuned to listen to them, as not everyone shares your knowledge and vocabulary. For example, obscure computer puns will most likely be deciphered binary a casual user unfamiliar with the components of programming lingo.
  • Don't laugh at your own jokes, especially when no one else is laughing. They probably didn't find it as funny as you did. Cut your losses and do better next time.

Article Info

Categories: Language Games

Recent edits by: Hutch55, HumanBeing, Donagan

In other languages:

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