Conundrum vs Pun - What's the difference?

As nouns the difference between conundrum and pun

is that conundrum is a difficult question or riddle, especially one using a play on words in the answer while pun is a joke or type of wordplay in which similar senses or sounds of two words or phrases, or different senses of the same word, are deliberately confused.

As a verb pun is

to beat; strike with force; ram; pound, as in a mortar; reduce to powder or pun can be to make or tell a pun; make a play on words.

conundrum

English

Noun

(en-noun)

A difficult question or riddle, especially one using a play on words in the answer.

* 1816 ,

“Why should I understand that, or anything else?” asked the girl. “Don’t bother my head by asking conundrums , I beg of you. Just let me discover myself in my own way.”

A difficult choice or decision that must be made.

* 2004 , , statement read before being sentenced to five months in prison

And while I am more concerned about the well-being of others than for myself, more hurt for them and for their losses than for my own, more worried for their futures than for the future of Martha Stewart the person, you are faced with a conundrum , a problem of monumental, to me, proportions.

Quotations

* (English Citations of "conundrum")

Synonyms

* (difficult question) brain-teaser, enigma, puzzle, riddle * (difficult choice) dilemma

External links

* (wikipedia "conundrum") * English terms with unknown etymologies

pun

English

(wikipedia pun)

Etymology 1

From (etyl) . More at (l).

Verb

To beat; strike with force; ram; pound, as in a mortar; reduce to powder.

* Shakespeare

He would pun thee into shivers with his fist.

Etymology 2

From a special use of Etymology 1 .

Noun

(en noun)

A joke or type of wordplay in which similar senses or sounds of two words or phrases, or different senses of the same word, are deliberately confused.

* {{quote-book

, title=(Mansfield Park) , last=Austen , first=Jane , authorlink=Jane Austen , year=1814 citation , volume=one, chapter VI , publisher= }}

"Certainly, my home at my uncle's brought me acquainted with a circle of admirals. Of Rears'' and ''Vices I saw enough. Now do not be suspecting me of a pun , I entreat."

*:Comment : Austen was likely referring to spanking/flogging, then common naval punishments, known as (le vice Anglais) .

Usage notes

* Because some puns are based on pronunciation, puns are more obvious when spoken aloud. For example: “This rock is gneiss, but don’t take it for granite.” This reads (with a US accent) similarly to “This rock is nice, but don’t take it for granted.” (Both “gneiss” and “granite” are types of rock.)

Synonyms

* See also

Verb

To make or tell a pun; make a play on words.

We punned about the topic until all around us groaned.

Anagrams

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