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'Diaphanous' crowned the most beautiful English word

NPR | By Kathryn Fink,
Mallory Yu
Published June 18, 2026 at 4:56 PM EDT

As part of a collaboration between the Poetry Society of America and Babbel, 1,500 poets and poetry lovers weighed in on the most beautiful word in the English language, crowning "diaphanous."

Copyright 2026 NPR
Kathryn Fink
Kathryn Fink is a producer with NPR's All Things Considered.
Mallory Yu
[Copyright 2024 NPR]
See stories by Mallory Yu