Sesquipedalophobia is the fear of long words. The irony is clear as the word itself is ridiculously long. People who suffer from sesquipedalophobia may find it very difficult to read articles, novels, or even be out in public due to the chances of them seeing a very long word displayed on a billboard or sign somewhere. This is a very rare phobia and is not among the more common phobias like achluphobia (fear of the dark), arachnophobia (fear of spiders), or cynophobia (fear of dogs) for instance.

Those suffering from the phobia sesquipedalophobia may find it very difficult to live their day to day lives due to their phobia causing heightened amounts of fear and worry. Though they may realize that their condition is irrational, they are still unable to see or read long words without experiencing painstaking anxiety.

People with sesquipedalophobia may purposely avoid putting themselves in situations where they will be forced to read long words. So, they may ensure that their day job requires little to no reading or writing. However, such symptoms will vary greatly from person to person. The exact causes of sesquipedalophobia are not known. However, one’s environment and genetics may play a significant role in someone developing this condition. People who have a family history of mental illness, especially anxiety disorders and phobias may have a greater chance to develop sesquipedalophobia.

More Info: psychtimes.com