Last Updated on March 23, 2022
What is Pun? To help you understand what this literary device is and how it is used, this article provides detailed guidance on definitions and examples of Pun, and how they can be used in a sentence.
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Definition of Pun
A pun is a literary device that is also known as a “play on words.” Puns involve words with similar or identical sounds but with different meanings. Their play on words also relies on a word or phrase having more than one meaning. Puns are generally intended to be humorous, but they often have a serious purpose as well in literary works.
Examples of Pun
Common Examples of Puns
Here are some examples of puns that may be found in everyday expression:
- Denial is a river in Egypt.
- The cyclist was two tired to win the race.
- Take my wife, please.
- Her cat is near the computer to keep an eye on the mouse.
- When my algebra teacher retired, he wasn’t ready for the aftermath.
- Some bunny loves you.
- Now that I have graph paper, I guess it’s time to plot something.
- Make like a tree and leave.
- This candy cane is in mint condition.
- My librarian is a great bookkeeper.
- This vacuum sucks.
- I like archery, but it’s hard to see the point.
- It’s easy to like musicians because they are very upbeat.
- If you stand by the window, I’ll help you out.
- The population of Ireland is always Dublin.
- It’s difficult for crabs to share because they are shellfish.
- Hand me that newspaper so we don’t have crosswords.
- The skeleton model in our biology class is a bonehead.
- The wedding cake had me in tiers.
- Next year, I’ll spend more thyme growing herbs.
Examples of Puns as Character Names
Writers often make clever use of puns when it comes to naming characters. This can provide humor and/or a sense of irony for the reader.
For example, in an episode of the animated series “The Tick,” one of the villains is named “El Seed.” El Seed is leader of an army that intends to “liberate” the plant population. This is a clever use of pun for a character name, as it is both a play on the word “seed” in relation to plants and a play on the legend of El Cid, a medieval Spanish knight and military warrior.
Here are some other examples of puns as character names:
- Cliff Hanger (adventure character from children’s television series “Between the Lions”)
- Gnomeo and Juliet (animated adaptation of “Romeo and Juliet”)
- Harley Quinn (fictional character in DC Comics)
- Truly Scrumptious (“Chitty Chitty Bang Bang”)
- Kim Possible (heroic character from children’s television series of the same name)
- Sugar Kane Kowalczyk (“Some Like It Hot”)
- Paige Turner (librarian character from children’s television series “Arthur”)
- Alfredo Linguini (chef character in Disney’s “Ratatouille”)
- Holly Golightly (“Breakfast at Tiffany’s”)
- Cruella De Vil (“101 Dalmatians”)
Famous Examples of Pun
Here are some famous examples of puns:
- “The road to success is always under construction.” (Lily Tomlin)
- “Atheism is a non-prophet organization.” (George Carlin)
- “I am a very committed wife. And I should be committed too – for being married so many times.” (Elizabeth Taylor)
- “The cafeteria staff requests sidekicks stop ordering hero sandwiches.” (from motion picture “Sky High”)
- “You can lead a horticulture, but you can’t make her think.” (Dorothy Parker)
Difference Between Pun and Joke
It can be difficult for people to distinguish between puns and jokes. This is understandable since they are similar in nature, yet they are not the same. Puns are figures of speech that rely on a form of word play, whereas jokes are narrative structures intended to create humor and laughter.
For example, the structure of a joke is generally dependent upon a “set up” followed by a “punchline.” A punchline delivers the humor of a joke by relieving the tension of the narrative set up through an unlikely or incongruous resolution. This punchline “twist” is intended to induce laughter from an audience.
Here is an example of a well-known joke from the “Monty Python” series:
First Person: “My dog has no nose.”
Second Person: “How does he smell?”
First Person: “Awful!”
The set up for this joke is that a person’s dog is without a nose, creating wonder in the second person (and the audience, vicariously) as to how the dog uses its sense of smell with no nose. Instead, the person with the dog interprets the second person’s question as a query about the quality of smell of the dog itself. The punchline “Awful!” relieves the tension of the narrative in that the question is answered. The punchline is humorous in that the answer is unexpected.
Though both jokes and puns are forms of humor, jokes frequently rely on comedic rhythm and timing. Puns, however, rely on word play and meanings.