{"id":760,"date":"2025-03-28T01:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-03-28T01:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/engoo.com\/blog\/?p=760"},"modified":"2025-03-28T01:00:01","modified_gmt":"2025-03-28T01:00:01","slug":"unlock-english-humor-with-puns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/engoo.com\/blog\/travel-fun\/unlock-english-humor-with-puns\/","title":{"rendered":"Unlock English Humor With Puns [Updated]"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_80 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 eztoc-toggle-hide-by-default' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/engoo.com\/blog\/travel-fun\/unlock-english-humor-with-puns\/#Why_You_Should_Learn_Puns\" >Why You Should Learn Puns<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/engoo.com\/blog\/travel-fun\/unlock-english-humor-with-puns\/#Examples_of_Puns_in_the_Real_World\" >Examples of Puns in the Real World<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/engoo.com\/blog\/travel-fun\/unlock-english-humor-with-puns\/#Pun_Practice\" >Pun Practice&nbsp;<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/engoo.com\/blog\/travel-fun\/unlock-english-humor-with-puns\/#For_Beginners\" >For Beginners<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/engoo.com\/blog\/travel-fun\/unlock-english-humor-with-puns\/#For_Intermediate_Learners\" >For Intermediate Learners<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/engoo.com\/blog\/travel-fun\/unlock-english-humor-with-puns\/#For_Advanced_Learners\" >For Advanced Learners<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/engoo.com\/blog\/travel-fun\/unlock-english-humor-with-puns\/#Have_a_Pun-derful_Day\" >Have a Pun-derful Day!<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n<p>Here's a question for you:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>What type of whale is always sad?\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>A \"blue whale\u201d!<\/em> (Blue whales are a type of whale, and \u201cblue\u201d is another way to say \"<a href=\"https:\/\/engoo.com\/blog\/travel-fun\/orchid-and-amber-color-names-not-taught-in-school\/#Idioms_using_blue\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">sad<\/a>.\")<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Next one:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Why is 6 afraid of 7?\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Because 7 8 9! (\u201c7 ate 9\u201d!)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you don\u2019t understand, there\u2019s a joke for that too:<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"602\" src=\"https:\/\/assets.blog.engoo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2021\/08\/10124454\/image-4-1024x602.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-764\" srcset=\"https:\/\/assets.blog.engoo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2021\/08\/10124454\/image-4-1024x602.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/assets.blog.engoo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2021\/08\/10124454\/image-4-300x176.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/assets.blog.engoo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2021\/08\/10124454\/image-4-768x452.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/assets.blog.engoo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2021\/08\/10124454\/image-4-403x236.jpeg 403w, https:\/\/assets.blog.engoo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2021\/08\/10124454\/image-4-293x171.jpeg 293w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">(\u201cDonut\u201d sounds like \u201cdo not.\u201d)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p>These are all examples of a type of wordplay called \u201cpuns.\u201d Puns usually involve:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Words that sound the same but mean different things (\u201ceight\u201d and \u201cate\u201d)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Words that are written the same but mean different things (\u201cblue\u201d for the color and the emotion)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Words that sound similar (\u201cdonut\u201d and \u201cdo not\u201d)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Puns make some people laugh and make other people <a href=\"https:\/\/engoo.com\/app\/words\/word\/groan\/uNJsIZ1NRbe6unn3sBb9WA\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">groan<\/a>, but they are very popular in English! So today, we\u2019ll explore why learners should study them and also give you some fun puns to practice with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Why_You_Should_Learn_Puns\"><\/span><strong>Why You Should Learn Puns<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Studying puns has many benefits for language learners. In addition to being a fun way to build vocabulary, they can also help to increase your general language awareness and make you feel more relaxed and motivated to learn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Puns have a long history in English and they\u2019re still common today, from news headlines and social media posts to commercials and product names.\u00a0Even <a href=\"https:\/\/engoo.com\/blog\/travel-fun\/shakespeares-influence-on-the-english-language\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Shakespeare<\/a> often used puns in his writing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>All this means you need to be familiar with puns if you want to understand all of the English you see every day. Let's take a look at some examples.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Examples_of_Puns_in_the_Real_World\"><\/span><strong>Examples of Puns in the Real World<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>A famous example from the world of advertising is this slogan for the American jewelry company Kay Jewelers: \u201cEvery kiss begins with Kay.\u201d This is a pun on the letter K (which starts the word \u201ckiss\u201d) and the name of their company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Related article: <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/engoo.com\/blog\/language-tips\/what-k-and-m-mean-on-social-media\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>What \"K\" and \"M\" Mean on Social Media<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Another pun many English-speakers are familiar with is <a href=\"https:\/\/engoo.com\/app\/daily-news\/article\/people-celebrate-pi-day-in-different-ways\/J3KCEAmCEeeXIE8JcFuGPg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Pi Day<\/a>, a holiday often celebrated by eating pies.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"684\" src=\"https:\/\/assets.blog.engoo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2021\/08\/27040914\/english_puns_2-1024x684.jpg\" alt=\"A cherry pie with crust made into the Pi symbol\" class=\"wp-image-10601\" srcset=\"https:\/\/assets.blog.engoo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2021\/08\/27040914\/english_puns_2-1024x684.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/assets.blog.engoo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2021\/08\/27040914\/english_puns_2-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/assets.blog.engoo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2021\/08\/27040914\/english_puns_2-768x513.jpg 768w, https:\/\/assets.blog.engoo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2021\/08\/27040914\/english_puns_2-420x280.jpg 420w, https:\/\/assets.blog.engoo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2021\/08\/27040914\/english_puns_2-840x560.jpg 840w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>And here\u2019s a pun in an Instagram post by a US government agency:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<center><blockquote class=\"instagram-media\" data-instgrm-captioned data-instgrm-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/CP3C-80Mpf3\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" data-instgrm-version=\"13\" style=\" background:#FFF; 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flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><div style=\"padding: 19% 0;\"><\/div> <div style=\"display:block; height:50px; margin:0 auto 12px; width:50px;\"><svg width=\"50px\" height=\"50px\" viewBox=\"0 0 60 60\" version=\"1.1\" xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" xmlns:xlink=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/1999\/xlink\"><g stroke=\"none\" stroke-width=\"1\" fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><g transform=\"translate(-511.000000, -20.000000)\" fill=\"#000000\"><g><path d=\"M556.869,30.41 C554.814,30.41 553.148,32.076 553.148,34.131 C553.148,36.186 554.814,37.852 556.869,37.852 C558.924,37.852 560.59,36.186 560.59,34.131 C560.59,32.076 558.924,30.41 556.869,30.41 M541,60.657 C535.114,60.657 530.342,55.887 530.342,50 C530.342,44.114 535.114,39.342 541,39.342 C546.887,39.342 551.658,44.114 551.658,50 C551.658,55.887 546.887,60.657 541,60.657 M541,33.886 C532.1,33.886 524.886,41.1 524.886,50 C524.886,58.899 532.1,66.113 541,66.113 C549.9,66.113 557.115,58.899 557.115,50 C557.115,41.1 549.9,33.886 541,33.886 M565.378,62.101 C565.244,65.022 564.756,66.606 564.346,67.663 C563.803,69.06 563.154,70.057 562.106,71.106 C561.058,72.155 560.06,72.803 558.662,73.347 C557.607,73.757 556.021,74.244 553.102,74.378 C549.944,74.521 548.997,74.552 541,74.552 C533.003,74.552 532.056,74.521 528.898,74.378 C525.979,74.244 524.393,73.757 523.338,73.347 C521.94,72.803 520.942,72.155 519.894,71.106 C518.846,70.057 518.197,69.06 517.654,67.663 C517.244,66.606 516.755,65.022 516.623,62.101 C516.479,58.943 516.448,57.996 516.448,50 C516.448,42.003 516.479,41.056 516.623,37.899 C516.755,34.978 517.244,33.391 517.654,32.338 C518.197,30.938 518.846,29.942 519.894,28.894 C520.942,27.846 521.94,27.196 523.338,26.654 C524.393,26.244 525.979,25.756 528.898,25.623 C532.057,25.479 533.004,25.448 541,25.448 C548.997,25.448 549.943,25.479 553.102,25.623 C556.021,25.756 557.607,26.244 558.662,26.654 C560.06,27.196 561.058,27.846 562.106,28.894 C563.154,29.942 563.803,30.938 564.346,32.338 C564.756,33.391 565.244,34.978 565.378,37.899 C565.522,41.056 565.552,42.003 565.552,50 C565.552,57.996 565.522,58.943 565.378,62.101 M570.82,37.631 C570.674,34.438 570.167,32.258 569.425,30.349 C568.659,28.377 567.633,26.702 565.965,25.035 C564.297,23.368 562.623,22.342 560.652,21.575 C558.743,20.834 556.562,20.326 553.369,20.18 C550.169,20.033 549.148,20 541,20 C532.853,20 531.831,20.033 528.631,20.18 C525.438,20.326 523.257,20.834 521.349,21.575 C519.376,22.342 517.703,23.368 516.035,25.035 C514.368,26.702 513.342,28.377 512.574,30.349 C511.834,32.258 511.326,34.438 511.181,37.631 C511.035,40.831 511,41.851 511,50 C511,58.147 511.035,59.17 511.181,62.369 C511.326,65.562 511.834,67.743 512.574,69.651 C513.342,71.625 514.368,73.296 516.035,74.965 C517.703,76.634 519.376,77.658 521.349,78.425 C523.257,79.167 525.438,79.673 528.631,79.82 C531.831,79.965 532.853,80.001 541,80.001 C549.148,80.001 550.169,79.965 553.369,79.82 C556.562,79.673 558.743,79.167 560.652,78.425 C562.623,77.658 564.297,76.634 565.965,74.965 C567.633,73.296 568.659,71.625 569.425,69.651 C570.167,67.743 570.674,65.562 570.82,62.369 C570.966,59.17 571,58.147 571,50 C571,41.851 570.966,40.831 570.82,37.631\"><\/path><\/g><\/g><\/g><\/svg><\/div><div style=\"padding-top: 8px;\"> <div style=\" color:#3897f0; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:550; line-height:18px;\"> View this post on Instagram<\/div><\/div><div style=\"padding: 12.5% 0;\"><\/div> <div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;\"><div> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);\"><\/div> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;\"><\/div> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);\"><\/div><\/div><div style=\"margin-left: 8px;\"> <div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;\"><\/div> <div style=\" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg)\"><\/div><\/div><div style=\"margin-left: auto;\"> <div style=\" width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);\"><\/div> <div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);\"><\/div> <div style=\" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);\"><\/div><\/div><\/div> <div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;\"> <div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;\"><\/div> <div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;\"><\/div><\/div><\/a><p style=\" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/CP3C-80Mpf3\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" style=\" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">A post shared by Exchanges @ US Dept of State (@exchangeourworld)<\/a><\/p><\/div><\/blockquote> <script async src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><\/center>\n\n\n\n<p>This post contains a pun on the idiom \u201cturn the tide,\u201d which means \u201cto reverse a situation.\u201d The word \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/engoo.com\/app\/words\/word\/tide\/zga0ELstQmCjlQAAAAATFQ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">tide<\/a>\u201d is also a reference to the ocean, which is the subject of the post. As you can see, this example contains a lot of meaning in just a few words.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Related article: <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/engoo.com\/blog\/language-tips\/7-english-phrases-about-the-environment\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>7 English Phrases About the Environment<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Pun_Practice\"><\/span><strong>Pun Practice&nbsp;<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Below are some puns we picked especially for learners. Find your level and see how many you can understand before looking at the answers!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"For_Beginners\"><\/span><strong>For Beginners<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>What can you catch but not throw?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Why can\u2019t a bicycle stand on its own?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>At the beach, you can see waves. What about at a tiny beach?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>Answers:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>You can catch a cold, but you can\u2019t throw one!<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Because it's two-tired. (\"Too tired\u201d sounds just like \u201ctwo-tired\u201d \u2014\u00a0having two tires.)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Microwaves! (The word \"microwaves\u201d is made up of the prefix \u201cmicro,\"  meaning \"very small,\" and the root \u201cwave.\u201d)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"For_Intermediate_Learners\"><\/span><strong>For Intermediate Learners<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>What starts with T, ends with T and is full of T?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>What do astronauts do before throwing a party in space?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Identify the pun: \u201cI can\u2019t stand sitting.\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Identify the pun: \u201cTime flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/assets.blog.engoo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2021\/08\/27040515\/english_puns_3.jpg\" alt=\"A fruit fly on a banana peel\" class=\"wp-image-10599\" srcset=\"https:\/\/assets.blog.engoo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2021\/08\/27040515\/english_puns_3.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/assets.blog.engoo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2021\/08\/27040515\/english_puns_3-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/assets.blog.engoo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2021\/08\/27040515\/english_puns_3-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/assets.blog.engoo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2021\/08\/27040515\/english_puns_3-420x280.jpg 420w, https:\/\/assets.blog.engoo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2021\/08\/27040515\/english_puns_3-840x560.jpg 840w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Answers:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>A teapot. (\"Teapot\u201d starts and ends with the letter T, and teapots are full of tea!)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>They planet! (\u201cPlanet\u201d sounds like \u201cplan it.\u201d)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The verb \u201cstand\u201d has two meanings. The basic meaning is \"to stand up.\" However, the phrase \u201cI can\u2019t stand ~ \u201d means \u201cI don\u2019t like ~ .\u201d So this pun means \u201cI can\u2019t stand while sitting\u201d <em>and<\/em> \u201cI don\u2019t like sitting.\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u201cTime flies like an arrow\u201d is an expression about how quickly time passes. The second sentence includes two puns: \"flies\" is used as a noun for the flying insects, and \"like\" is the verb for \"to enjoy.\" So together, the true meaning is \"Time passes quickly. Flies enjoy bananas.\" Tricky!<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"For_Advanced_Learners\"><\/span><strong>For Advanced Learners<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>What flowers grow under your nose?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>What\u2019s a snake\u2019s favorite subject?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Identify the pun: \"Bugs really bug me.\"<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Identify the pun: \u201cAtheism is a non-prophet institution.\" \u2013 George Carlin<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>Answers:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Tulips (two lips) grow under your nose.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Snakes love history (hiss-tory \u2013 \"Hiss\" is <a href=\"https:\/\/engoo.com\/blog\/travel-fun\/english-animal-sounds\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">the sound snakes make<\/a>).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>To \"bug\" someone is to annoy them. So this pun means, \"Bugs really annoy me.\"<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u201cNon-prophet institution\u201d is a pun on \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/engoo.com\/app\/words\/word\/non-profit\/-dwSKyG-RxSTkSv009CNwg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">non-profit<\/a> institution.\u201d Atheism is the belief that there is no god, so naturally, atheists don\u2019t need God's messengers, which are called <a href=\"https:\/\/engoo.com\/app\/words\/word\/prophet\/l4Z4mMjKT6i-97hn3WffZA\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">prophets<\/a>!<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Have_a_Pun-derful_Day\"><\/span><strong>Have a Pun-derful Day<\/strong>!<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>While puns are great to know, remember that they aren't as cool as they were during Shakespeare\u2019s time!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So even though it might be fun to try and make puns yourself, for now, focus on recognizing and understanding them. The better you get at doing that, the more likely you are to create some clever puns yourself!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For more fun pun practice, check out our article on the clever puns hidden in the <a href=\"https:\/\/engoo.com\/blog\/travel-fun\/the-hidden-meanings-behind-english-pokemon-names\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">names of popular Pok\u00e9mon<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Here's a question for you: What type of whale is always sad?\u00a0 A \"blue whale\u201d! (Blue whales are a type of whale, and \u201cblue\u201d is another way to say \"sad.\") Next one:&nbsp; Why is 6...<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":160,"featured_media":10606,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"unified_meta_tagline_field":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-760","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-travel-fun"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Unlock English Humor With Puns<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"This article explains puns, a basic form of English humor, with examples from culture, social media and business.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/engoo.com\/blog\/travel-fun\/unlock-english-humor-with-puns\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Unlock English Humor With Puns\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"This article explains puns, a basic form of English humor, with examples from culture, social media and business.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/engoo.com\/blog\/travel-fun\/unlock-english-humor-with-puns\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Engoo Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-03-28T01:00:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-03-28T01:00:01+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/assets.blog.engoo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2021\/08\/27043703\/english_puns_caller_en.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"600\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Engoo\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Engoo\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/engoo.com\/blog\/travel-fun\/unlock-english-humor-with-puns\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/engoo.com\/blog\/travel-fun\/unlock-english-humor-with-puns\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Engoo\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/engoo.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/e9dfcd49dbf44f24a07101345514eec2\"},\"headline\":\"Unlock English Humor With Puns [Updated]\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-03-28T01:00:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-03-28T01:00:01+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/engoo.com\/blog\/travel-fun\/unlock-english-humor-with-puns\/\"},\"wordCount\":863,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/engoo.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/engoo.com\/blog\/travel-fun\/unlock-english-humor-with-puns\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/assets.blog.engoo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2021\/08\/27043131\/english_puns-1.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Travel &amp; 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