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A self-inventorying Spanish sentence, discovered/invented by Miguel Lerma of the Universidad Politecnica of Madrid:

Esta frase contiene exactamente doscientas treinta y cinco letras: veinte a’s, una b, dieciseis c’s, trece d’s, treinta e’s, dos f’s, una g, una h, diecinueve i’s, una j, una k, dos l’s, dos m’s, veintidos n’s, catorce o’s, una p, una q, diez r’s, treinta y tres s’s, diecinueve t’s, doce u’s, cinco v’s, una w, dos x’s, cuatro y’s, y dos z’s.

See also The Quick Brown Fox, Bills of Lading, and Inventory.

Auto-Antonyms

More self-contradicting words:

  • AUGHT (“anything” and “nothing”)
  • BULL (“edict” and “nonsense”)
  • ENJOIN (“prescribe” and “prohibit”)
  • KICK OFF (“begin” and “die”)
  • NERVY (“brash” and “timid”)
  • RAVEL (“tangle” and “disentangle”)
  • TEMPER (“harden” and “soften”)
  • UNBENDING (“rigid” and “relaxing”)
  • WEATHER (“withstand” and “wear away”)

Zing is appeal, but zinging is criticism.

In a Word

spoffle
v. to make oneself very busy over a matter of very little consequence

“An Eastern Counties word.” — Charles Mackay, Lost Beauties of the English Language