The EVASIVE 50% word...

[RocketManJames]

My friends and I are having quite a discussion on what words are "50% words." Now, let me explain. Our universe will consist of those 18 and older and would claim English as a native language.

A 50% word is one where 50% of our population would know the definition of the word and 50% would not. For example, a 99.9% word would be "garbage." A 1% word would be something like "stentorian" (some friends disagree and have put a 0.1% rating on that word).

What do all of you think are some 50% words?

I initially thought of:

PERNICIOUS
SUPINE

Then, my friends said I was WAY WAY out of touch with reality.

Anyone want to submit their 50% words?

-RMJ

[paland]

HACKER has to be one. Most people have the wrong definition of the word. But I'm not sure this is the kind of thing you are after. This word is probably %95 recognised but only 15% will know the true definition. Also, once a word changes meaning in the general public, it usually changes officially (dictionary wise) within twenty years.

Edit: OOPS, then neither definition of this word would fit the %50 test, so it would not be a %50 word.

[RocketManJames]

How my friends and I set up our "50% test" is that 50% of the people should know the definition of at least one meaning of the word. So, if you have a word with multiple meanings, the main definition need not be known so long as another one is known.

Talking to a few others, some new suggestions as to 50% words: ASPHYXIATE and ROTUND.

I think rotund would be a 35-40% word, and asphyxiate does seem like a 50% word.

-RMJ

[Rushmore]

[ QUOTE ]
PERNICIOUS
SUPINE

[/ QUOTE ]

Dude, have you MET the people?

Your examples are clearly overreaching. Pernicious? 20%, tops. Supine? Maybe 25%.

I'll give some more reasonable assertions:

Theology.
Defer.
Talisman.
Epicurian.
Satire.
Malevolent.
Languish.
Cacophony.

Actually, let's remove EPICURIAN and MALEVOLENT.

I don't know. Leave me alone.

[RocketManJames]

[ QUOTE ]
Dude, have you MET the people?

[/ QUOTE ]

Apparently not... this is why my buddies feel that I'm out of touch with reality. Most people I deal have a stronger-than-average vocabulary, and over time you get used to this.

From your list, I'll put down what I feel are accurate percentages. This is a "new" scale for me, since I'm calibrating. I do not like to be "out of touch" with reality.

Theology. I'd give this a 60%.
Defer. This I would guess would be a 65-70%.
Talisman. I agree with this one... 50%.
Epicurian. I think it's spelled with an "ean," but I'm not positive. I give this one a 20%. But you axed it from your list.
Satire. I give this one a 60%.
Malevolent. This one to me feels like a 70%. This one was also crossed off.
Languish. This one feels like a 50-60%.
Cacophony. This one I would guess is a 40% or lower.

I was thinking of a few more 50%ers (using my new rating system). What about these:

OBELISK
ALLUDE

-RMJ

[M2d]

check-raise

[Rushmore]

[ QUOTE ]
I think it's spelled with an "ean,"

[/ QUOTE ]

You are correct. I am dumb.

No way on allude. It's a literary term and therefore falls closer to 20%.

Let me try again:

Affect.
Frenetic.
Pundit.
Hoi polloi.
Raison d'etre.
Ostensible.
Idolatry.
Iconoclast.

OK, then.

[paland]

You are out of touch RocketMan. Most people read at an eighth grade level or below. Some of the recent polls show that 40% of the American people don't know where Australia or Brazil is on a map. Most do not know very much about most sciences. Do a search online and find these things and you will be surprised at the ignorance of the majority of the people. Some still think the earth is flat.

American technology is not invented by the majority of the people, but rather by the few that take the time and discipline to learn the math and science that are needed to discover and invent. The problem is the majority that uses these machines think that some God made them for mankind. But when they break, they don't call God, they call me or another technogeek to fix it.

[RocketManJames]

I don't know what "hoi polloi" means... hmmm. I'll go look it up. I'll add it to my lexicon (50% word??, haha). This has GOT to be a sub-50% (or maybe it's just a more common word that slipped by me).

Affect: Are you trying to bank that some 50% will produce the incorrect definition (namely, the definition of "effect")? Because, I would think that affect would be a 90+% word.

Idolatry, Frenetic, Pundit: Ya, I agree 50%, maybe a bit higher for Frenetic.
Ostensible, Iconoclast: 30%, maybe 20%.
Raison d'etre: 25% tops, unless of course they took french in school.

New words to assign percentages:

abbreviate
indigenous
gruesome
ilk
hobnob

-RMJ

[Ulysses]

Throughout this thread, the percentages are WAY too high. I'll come back later w/ some estimates and proposed words.