What is a Pun? Definition, Types, and 50 Examples

What’s the most fun thing to eat for breakfast? Pun-cakes! 🥞

Puns are one of the quirkiest forms of humor in the English language. These witty wordplay tricks twist meanings or sounds to deliver a deliciously cheesy punchline  — the kind that makes you laugh and cringe at the same time.

From groan-inducing dad jokes to high-brow Shakespearean banter, puns have long entertained us with their satisfying little language puzzles. Whether you love them or hate them, puns are impossible to ignore — which is why they are so powerful.

In this post, we’ll explore what makes a pun a pun, break down the most common types, their role in literature, and share many funny examples to brighten your day. 

What is a pun?

A pun is a clever form of wordplay that plays with multiple meanings or similar word sounds to create comedic effect. The best puns strike a careful balance between being obvious enough to understand, but subtle enough to create a satisfying "aha moment" when the double meaning clicks into place. 

For example:

At first glance, this sentence might leave you puzzled. Then it clicks: "stories" refers to both building floors and narrative tales. That’s the classic pun "aha" moment.

The humor of puns comes from playing with words that sound similar or have multiple meanings, which gives rise to several different types of puns.

The 3 main types of puns

There are several distinct types of wordplay that fall under the pun umbrella (or punbrella? Too much?) The three most common ones are homophonic, homographic, and compound puns.

Homophonic puns

Homophonic puns use words that sound alike but have different meanings, often with different spellings. These ones work best when said out loud.

Here are a few examples:

• "I'm on a seafood diet. I see food, and I eat it."
• "Be kind to dentists. They have fillings too, you know."
• "How do you organize a space party? You planet!"
• "Need an ark? I Noah guy."
• "I don’t enjoy computer jokes. Not one bit."

Homographic puns

Homographic puns use words that are spelled identically but have different meanings and (occasionally) different pronunciations. These ones work best in written form. 

Examples:

• "Why don't scientists trust atoms? Because they make up everything!"
• "I used to be addicted to soap, but I'm clean now."
• "I wondered why the baseball kept getting bigger... then it hit me."
• "I’m inclined to be laid back."
• "I used to work at a calendar factory, but I got fired for taking a couple of days off."

Compound puns

As you might expect, compound puns cram multiple puns into one. They usually come in two parts: the first half gets the joke started, while the second delivers the pun-chline (I'm sorry, really).

“Did you hear about the lumberjack who couldn't hack it? They gave him the axe.” 

• Pun 1: “couldn’t hack it” = chopping/wasn’t good enough; 
• Pun 2: “gave him the axe” = literal axe/got fired.

"I used to be a baker, but I couldn't make enough dough — so I kneaded a change."

• Pun 1: “make enough dough” = money/literal dough; 
• Pun 2: “kneaded a change” = needed/kneaded (bread).

"The scarecrow won an award because he was outstanding in his field — but honestly, it was just a corny achievement." 

• Pun 1: “outstanding in his field” = excellent/literally standing in a field; 
• Pun 2: “corny achievement” = cheesy/made of corn.

That’s all pun and games (...), but can puns serve a deeper purpose? Let’s take a look at how some literary heavyweights have used them to add wit, irony, and layered meaning to their work.

How puns are used in literature

Many authors have long used puns not just for humor, but as clever literary devices. Because the joke’s payoff depends on a reader’s acumen, puns create an even more interactive reading experience, rewarding attentive audiences with an extra beat of insight.  

Shakespeare himself was a pun lover —  his work is chock-full of them! For example:

In Richard III, the scheming duke begins his famous soliloquy with:

"Now is the winter of our discontent / Made glorious summer by this sun of York," 

Richard flips sun into son to boast that he himself — a member of the House of York — will turn national gloom into triumph, all while hinting at the heat of his ambition.

In Romeo and Juliet, Romeo says: 

"Give me a torch; I am not for this ambling. / Being but heavy I will bear the light." 

In this context, "heavy" refers to both Romeo's physical sluggishness and his emotional burden. “Light" also works on two levels — the literal light from the torch, and the figurative lightness of the mood. This compound pun conveys both Romeo’s current feelings and his dramatic personality. A masterful stroke of character development.

But the Bard wasn’t the only writer to make use of puns.

In Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest, the entire title acts as an extended pun. "Ernest" (the name) and "earnest" (sincere) create the play's central joke — Jack becomes both earnest and literally changes name to Ernest, highlighting Victorian hypocrisy about appearances versus substance.

In Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, after falling into the pool of tears, the Mouse declares "Mine is a long and a sad tale!" and Alice responds "It is a long tail, certainly". The homophone confusion here between "tale" and "tail" is characteristic of the famous linguistic chaos that Carroll's fantasy world is known for.

Think of a pun as literature’s Swiss-army knife: compact, mischievous, and subtly subversive — it lets writers slip in extra layers of meaning while keeping readers happily on their toes.

20 extra simple pun examples

If you’ve made it this far, you’ve earned a little bonus. Here are a few more puns that might just make you laugh out loud (or die inside). If you want to mix fun with learning, try to identify which category each of these puns belongs to.

1. "A cross-eyed teacher couldn't control his pupils."
2. "I'm reading a horror story in Braille. Something bad is about to happen... I can feel it."
3. "The past, present, and future walked into a bar. It was tense."
4. "I don't trust stairs. They're always up to something."
5. "Did you hear about the mathematician who's afraid of negative numbers? He'll stop at nothing to avoid them."
6. "I used to play piano by ear, but now I use my hands."
7. "I relish the fact that you mustard the strength to ketchup to me."
8. "What did the triangle say to the circle? You’re so pointless."
9. "It’s not that the guy didn’t know how to juggle… he just didn’t have the balls to do it."
10. "I’m glad I know sign language. It’s become quite handy."
11. "Why is it so wet in England? Because many kings and queens have reigned there."
12. "The wedding was so emotional that even the cake was in tiers."
13. "What do you call cheese that isn't yours? Nacho cheese!"
14. "The shovel was a ground-breaking invention."
15. "What did one eye say to the other? Just between you and me, something smells."
16. "I stayed up all night wondering where the sun went. Then it dawned on me."
17. "The best way to communicate with fish is to drop them a line."
18. "The graveyard is so crowded, people are dying to get in!"
19. "I can’t stand Russian dolls. They’re so full of themselves."
20. "What did one wall say to the other wall? I'll meet you at the corner!"

Still itching for more? Check out this pun collection by Will Styler and Will Livingston’s book No Pun Intended, both of which supplied many of the puns on this post. 

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Puns are more than just simple jokes. They’re also a reminder of the little linguistic joys that emerge from written (or spoken) word. Maybe you’ll never use one, or maybe you’ll whip one out on a date (good luck with that) or at a dinner with friends.

But you might also consider weaving them into your writing to add a touch of wit and make your story more engaging. (Pull it off and even William will shake a spear of approval your way.)