A pun is a form of wordplay that exploits multiple meanings of a word or phrase, or of similar-sounding words, to create a humorous or rhetorical effect. Puns can be used in a variety of contexts, including jokes, headlines, and advertising.
There are many different types of puns, including:
- Homophone puns: These puns use words that sound the same but have different meanings, such as “Why did the scarecrow win an award? Because he was outstanding in his field”
- Homograph puns: These puns use words that are spelled the same but have different meanings, such as “The bandage was wound around the wound.”
- Syllepsis puns: These puns use a word in two different senses in the same sentence, such as “I couldn’t figure out how to thread the needle, so I asked my sister to eye it for me.”
- Metaphor puns: These puns use a word metaphorically, such as “What do you call a lazy kangaroo? A pouch potato.”
- Antonym puns: These puns use opposite words in the same sentence, such as “I’m not a crook, but I did steal second base.”
Puns can be a great way to add humor to your writing, but it’s important to use them sparingly. Too many puns can be annoying and perhaps pun-ishing. Puns can also be a pain in the neck. Adding puns to every sentence, your readers will start to groan. This is just too much, and it will probably make your readers roll their eyes.
The pun is funny because it is unexpected. The reader expects the sentence to say something like “too many puns can be annoying.” However, the sentence actually says “pun-ishing.” This unexpected twist and using the word itself is what makes the pun-funny.
Puns can be offensive.
It’s probably best to err with caution and leave it outside. After all, you don’t want to be the butt of a joke.
This statement is funny because it plays on the multiple meanings of the word “butt.” In the first sentence, the word “butt” is used as a noun, meaning “the back end of something.” In the second sentence, the word “butt” is used as a verb, meaning “to be the target of something.”
The humor comes from the unexpected twist in the second sentence. The reader expects the sentence to say something like “you don’t want to be the target of a joke.” However, the sentence actually says “you don’t want to be the butt of a joke.”
It is important to note that not everyone enjoys humor that plays on the multiple meanings of words. Some people find it confusing or even offensive. If you are not sure whether a statement is funny, then it probably isn’t.
PUN RULE 1: Don’t be offensive.
+know your audience
What do you call a writer who doesn’t know their audience? A lost clause.
- Why did the pickle wear glasses? He was legally brined.
- What did the pickle say to the cat? Dill-ow!
- Why did the pickles cross the road? To get to the other gherkin.
- What do you call a pickle that’s always getting into trouble? A dill-egent.
- Why did the pickle go to the doctor? He had a bad case of pickled hearing.