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"Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo"

en.wikipedia.org — "Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo," is a grammatically correct sentence used as an example of how homonyms and homophones can be used to create complicated constructs. It has been known to exist since 1972 when the sentence was used by William J. Rapaport, currently an associate professor at the University at Buffalo.

Who dugg this? Made popular Jun 19, 2007

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  • inactive, on 10/11/2007, -22/+703badger badger badger badger badger badger badger badger
  • griz, on 10/11/2007, -10/+312So Balmer was trying to speak in sentences...

    Developers Developers Developers Developers Developers Developers Developers
  • drlha, on 10/11/2007, -11/+200See also the "Police" conversation:

    Q: Who polices the police?
    A: Police police police police
    Q: Ah, but who polices the police police?
    A: Police police police police police police.

    etc....
  • inactive, on 10/11/2007, -5/+118http://digg.com/software/Buffalo_buffalo_buffalo_buffalo_buffalo_buffalo_buffalo_buffalo_buffalo

    You cannot tell me that didn't come up when you submitted this.
  • jasnmb, on 10/11/2007, -7/+116Esau Wood sawed wood. Esau Wood would saw wood. All the wood Esau Wood saw, Esau Wood would saw. In other words, all the wood Esau saw to saw, Esau sought to saw. Oh, the wood Wood would saw! And, oh the wood-saw with which Wood would saw wood! But one day, Wood's wood-saw would saw no wood, and thus the wood Wood sawed was not the wood Wood would saw if Wood's wood-saw would saw wood. Now, Wood would saw wood with a wood-saw that would saw wood, so Esau sought a saw that would saw wood. One day, Esau saw a saw saw wood as no other wood-saw Wood saw would saw wood. In fact, of all the wood-saws Wood ever saw saw wood, Wood never saw a wood-saw that would saw wood as the wood-saw Wood saw saw wood would saw wood, and I never saw a wood-saw that would saw as the wood-saw Wood saw would saw until I saw Esau Wood saw wood with the wood-saw Wood saw saw wood. Now Wood saws wood with the wood-saw Wood saw saw wood

  • Waterispoison, on 10/11/2007, -4/+112Have you ever said a word so many times in a row that it sounds really weird to say it? Yeah, that just happened to me.
  • PoeticExplosion, on 10/11/2007, -8/+73Or in American English, where buffalo isn't a known verb...
  • humperdeath, on 10/11/2007, -3/+66My head just exploded
  • Armistead, on 10/11/2007, -2/+48I'm no neuroscientist, but isn't that because you are eventually disengaging the language portion of your brain so that the word being said is then processed in another area?
  • badjoke, on 10/11/2007, -3/+47The letter "H". Ayyych. Ayyche.
  • philmiller, on 10/11/2007, -3/+44I live in Buffalo and have never been buffaloed by buffalo, but then again am not a buffalo even though I live in Buffalo.

  • fober, on 10/11/2007, -13/+53"Bison from upstate New York who are intimidated by other bison in their community also happen to intimidate other bison in their community."

    Ok that was nowhere near as cool as buffalo^8.
  • Scheissen, on 10/11/2007, -2/+40Duplicate duplicate duplicate Duplicate duplicate.
  • eXp0se, on 10/11/2007, -6/+42I see some crazy flash animation coming from this...
  • mrgreenjeans, on 10/11/2007, -5/+40Try 'IS' WTF is 'IS'?
  • TheGeneral, on 10/11/2007, -4/+37Tatonka tatonka Tatonka tatonka tatonka tatonka Tatonka tatonka
  • Flipperbw, on 10/11/2007, -12/+43Did Billy really have to work at the University of Buffalo? We get it. You've made your point.
  • cogitocogito, on 10/11/2007, -2/+33The sentence wouldn't be grammatical with commas. It just needs a period at the end.

    (Read the article to understand the sentence structure)
  • joe573, on 10/11/2007, -6/+35So just ignore the already posted story with over 3000 diggs and post yours anyway..... http://digg.com/software/Buffalo_buffalo_buffalo_buffalo_buffalo_buffalo_buffalo_buffalo_buffalo
  • macaddct1984, on 10/11/2007, -1/+29At least there is an illustration already:
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Buffalo_buffalo_comic.jpg
  • RobbieF, on 10/11/2007, -3/+23Oh great, now my nose is bleeding.
  • evilregis, on 10/11/2007, -4/+23@iammustangman (#7266439)
    Someone is creating their own Wikiality.

    Check the page history.

    Edit: And it's been fixed again.
  • cbrophy78, on 10/11/2007, -5/+21I just want to know if I get the blue cheese dressing with all that buffalo
  • Angostura, on 10/11/2007, -6/+22Doesn't work in British English where 'buffalo' is not a known verb.
  • MikeonTV, on 10/11/2007, -2/+14Can someone rewrite the sentence using a different city than Buffalo and a different animal than buffalo. I'll get it then
  • kirb59y, on 10/11/2007, -2/+13It's called semantic satiation. http://www.hist-analytic.org/SATIATION.htm
  • Xemus83, on 10/11/2007, -3/+13You mean... socks?
  • mcprogrammer, on 10/11/2007, -6/+16New York bison New York bison intimidate intimidate New York bison.
  • mb3581, on 10/11/2007, -4/+14well that's just weird... :-/
  • walkable, on 10/11/2007, -2/+12A tutor who tooted the flute tried to tutor two tooters to toot. Said a tooter to the tutor, "is it harder to toot or to tutor two tooters to toot?"

    A canner exceedingly canny, one morning remarked to his granny, "a canner can can anything that he can, but a canner can't can a can, can he?"
  • evilTak, on 10/11/2007, -1/+11Obviously a canner can can a can, provided that the can to be canned is smaller than the can in which to can the canned can.
  • Racerx52, on 10/11/2007, -4/+14It's a Jackal!
  • dogstylee, on 10/11/2007, -1/+10I'm amazed that over 1500 of you people:

    a) haven't seen this on Digg before

    b) are probably the types to bitch at someone for posting a dupe

    c) will vote my comment down for pointing this out
  • mb96net, on 10/11/2007, -4/+13That would be

    Digg digg digg Digg digg Digg digg

    ie. a digger from the site Digg, who diggs Digg, also diggs Digg diggers.
  • magicmanfeyrune, on 10/11/2007, -3/+12@gidd
    You didn't know [that] you can imply certain words in a sentence and it [also happen to] make sense?
  • paulmike3, on 10/11/2007, -1/+9congratulations. you win at the internet.
  • griz, on 10/11/2007, -2/+10Reminds me of this...

    http://www.anvari.org/fun/Language_and_English/Had_had_had_had_had_had_had_a_riddle.html
  • LaueOfficer, on 10/11/2007, -8/+16I think this is a marketing ploy by Buffalo Wild Wings to get me to go get 50 cent wing Tuesdays....

    (it's working)
  • themastersb, on 10/11/2007, -2/+9"Let's have a secret word that I will say if I really want John killed... I'll say buffalo" ............ "BUFFALO! BUFFALO BUFFALO BUFFALO!"
  • mikeyrock, on 10/11/2007, -13/+20I guess the sentence was created before commas were invented..
  • inactive, on 10/11/2007, -6/+13AIDS aids Aids!
  • VeganG, on 10/11/2007, -11/+18@Armistead:

    At that point, you're basically seeing the word as a foreigner who doesn't speak your language would see it.
  • paulmike3, on 10/11/2007, -2/+9oops. digg me down.
  • IShouldBeWorkin, on 10/11/2007, -5/+11what? no african snake?
  • frenchkick, on 10/11/2007, -2/+8they show in a better way:

    [Those] (Buffalo buffalo) [that] (Buffalo buffalo buffalo) buffalo (Buffalo buffalo).
    [Those] buffalo(es) from Buffalo [that are intimidated by] buffalo(es) from Buffalo intimidate buffalo(es) from Buffalo.
    Bison from upstate New York who are intimidated by other bison in their community also happen to intimidate other bison in their community.

  • Akaji, on 10/11/2007, -5/+9New York bison New York bison intimidate intimidate New York bison. ->

    |New York bison| (Noun)
    |New York bison intimidate| (Noun & Verb)
    |intimidate New York bison| (Verb & Noun)

    New York bison that New York bison intimidate also intimidate New York bison.

    Take out 'that' and 'also', and replace the remaining words with 'buffalo', and you have the original (albeit nonsensical, since it's saying that Buffalo buffalo are intimidated by themselves, and in turn intimidate themselves) sentence.
  • waterboy1628, on 10/11/2007, -2/+6Repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat

    http://www.digg.com/software/Buffalo_buffalo_buffalo_buffalo_buffalo_buffalo_buffalo_buffalo_buffalo
  • theone3, on 10/11/2007, -1/+5So this sign painter was painting a "fish and chips" sign, and the owner of the fish and chips shop comes out and says -
    "hey, there's too much space between fish and and and and and chips."
  • strossos, on 10/11/2007, -1/+5THAT is not needed.
    Actually it really is need so someone can understand the sentence, but technically it works. Just like this works and can be understood:
    Fun times dead people have are still fun!


    Cincinnati cicadas Cincinnati cicadas consume consume Cincinnati cicadas .
  • damien6669, on 10/11/2007, -2/+6This should be titled "Why English is broken."
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