A short history of puns and wordplay
Puns feel like a modern, internet-era kind of joke, but wordplay is far older than the web, the newspaper or even the printing press. Wherever people have shared a language, someone has noticed that two words sound alike and had a little fun with it.
Wordplay in the ancient world
Scholars of ancient literature have found wordplay in many old texts, from religious writings to poetry. Greek and Roman writers gave wordplay a formal name, paronomasia, which is still the technical word for a pun. The Roman comedy writer Plautus is well known for packing his plays with jokes that depend on how words sound. Because we only read these jokes in translation or in old languages, many of them have lost their sparkle, but the habit of playing with words is clearly ancient.
Shakespeare and the stage
Shakespeare used puns constantly, in comedies and tragedies alike. In Romeo and Juliet, the wounded Mercutio makes a joke about being found "a grave man" the next day. In his time, audiences enjoyed quick wordplay on stage, and clever punning was a sign of a sharp mind. Many of his puns need a footnote today because pronunciation and meanings have changed, but the instinct behind them is the same as in a modern dad joke.
Newspapers, headlines and signs
Once newspapers became common, headline writers needed short, catchy lines that grabbed attention. Puns are perfect for that job: they pack two meanings into a few words. The tradition continues today in news headlines, magazine covers, film titles and shop signs. A good pun headline does two things at once, informing the reader and making them smile.
The rise of the "dad joke"
The phrase "dad joke" became popular in recent decades, especially online, as a name for short, clean, corny jokes that fathers (and others) tell with great pride. Nobody can point to one inventor, which is part of the charm: dad jokes are folk humour, passed along from person to person. For more on this style, read What makes a joke a dad joke?
Puns today
Today, puns thrive on social media, in video shorts, in classroom worksheets and in friendly competition at the dinner table. Short videos have given them a new home, because a pun is the perfect length for a quick clip: setup, pause, punchline. That is exactly what the cartoon characters on our Shorts page do.
Why they survive
Puns have lasted for thousands of years because they are cheap, portable and playful. You need no equipment, no special knowledge and no permission to make one. All you need is a language and a sense of mischief. To learn how they work, see What is a pun?