Articles
What is a pun? A friendly guide to wordplayA pun is a joke that plays with words that sound alike or have two meanings. Learn what puns are, why they work and where they come from.
7 types of puns, with examplesHomophonic, homographic, near-sound, visual and more: seven kinds of puns explained with easy examples.
What makes a joke a dad joke?Short, clean, corny and told with total confidence: the ingredients of a dad joke, classic formats and why we love them.
Why do bad jokes make us groan and laugh?Why does a good pun earn a groan and a smile? A look at incongruity, social signals and why the worst jokes stick in our heads.
How to write your own pun in 5 stepsA simple five-step method for writing your own puns, with tips and practice prompts for beginners.
Why puns are great for kids (and how to use them)Puns teach children that words have more than one meaning. Ideas for using clean jokes at home and in class.
A short history of puns and wordplayFrom ancient writers and Shakespeare to newspaper headlines and the dad joke: where puns come from and why they have lasted.
Puns in advertising and shop namesWhy businesses love punny names, what makes one memorable, and when a pun backfires.
10 clean pun categories, with examplesAnimals, food, school, space and more: ten family-friendly pun themes with examples and why each one works.
5 pun games for car rides, classrooms and dinner tablesFive easy pun games with simple rules: pun chain, explain the pun, caption this, pun hunt and finish the joke.
Why puns are so hard to translateA pun lives in the sound of particular words, which is why it rarely survives translation. How translators cope.
Pun vs dad joke vs riddle vs one-liner: what is the difference?A simple guide and comparison table for four kinds of jokes that people constantly mix up.