Tropes of Wordplay
Figures that exploit multiple meanings, sounds, or senses of words for wit or rhetorical effect.
7 figures across 2 subcategories
Semantic Wordplay
Exploiting the multiple meanings or sounds of words.
X... X — same word, different meanings
Repetition of a word in two or more different senses within the same context.
Sound-alike words with different meanings — near-homophone play
A play on words that sound alike but have different meanings; a pun based on similar-sounding words.
V(A literal, B figurative) — one word, two senses simultaneously
A word used once but understood in two different senses, one typically literal and the other figurative.
Word with dual meaning exploited for humor
A deliberate play on words exploiting ambiguity between similar-sounding words or multiple meanings of the same word, typically for humor.
Surface meaning + hidden secondary meaning
A phrase that can be interpreted in two ways, one of which is usually risque, ironic, or has a hidden second layer of meaning.
Word Creation & Misuse
Figures that involve coining new words or comically misusing existing ones.
New word invented — previously nonexistent term
Coining a new word or using an existing word in an entirely new sense.
Wrong word substituted for sound-alike — comic misuse
The mistaken or humorous use of a word in place of a similar-sounding one, producing a nonsensical or ludicrous effect.