'Nincompoop' is voted UK's favourite sounding word

"Nincompoop" has been voted the UK's favourite sounding word.

The term, probably derived in around 1676 from the Latin definition of someone not of a sound mind "non compos mentis", came top of a poll to find Britain's favourite words.

"Nincompoop", which is now used to describe a silly or foolish person, polled 13 per cent of the votes to scoop the title. "Love" came in second, followed by "mum" in third place and "discombobulated" - which means being thrown into a state of confusion - was fourth.



More than 2,000 members of the British public were asked to pick their favourite word from the 16,500 entries in the Cambridge Dictionary.

The nation's top 20 words are:
1. Nincompoop
2. Love
3. Mum
4. Discombobulated
5. Excellent
6. Happy
7. Squishy
8. Fabulous
9. Cool
10. Onomatopoeia
11. Weekend
12. Incandescent
13. Wicked
14. Lovely
15. Lush
16. Peace
17. Cosy
18. Bed
19. Freedom
20. Kiss