Splitwords

splitwords is a term used to describe the practice of concatenating two or more words together without any spacing or punctuation to form a single, often nonsensical, new word. This can occur intentionally, as a form of wordplay or creative expression, or unintentionally due to typos or misinterpretations of text. For instance, a common example of an unintentional splitword might be mistaking "the end" for "theend."

The creation of splitwords can sometimes be a source of humor, particularly when the resulting word creates an amusing or unexpected meaning. This phenomenon is often observed in informal online communication, where speed and brevity can lead to such linguistic constructions. While not a formal linguistic category, splitwords are a recognizable feature of informal language use. Analyzing splitwords can offer insights into how users interact with and manipulate language in digital spaces. They are distinct from compound words, which are established and recognized as single words, like "sunflower" or "blackboard." Splitwords typically lack this established recognition and are often ephemeral in nature.