The English suffixes -phobia, -phobic, -phobe (from Greek φόβος phobos, "fear") occur in technical usage in psychiatry to construct words that describe irrational, abnormal, unwarranted, persistent, or disabling fear as a mental disorder (e.g. agoraphobia), in chemistry to describe chemical aversions (e.g. hydrophobic), in biology to describe organisms that dislike certain conditions (e.g. acidophobia), and in medicine to describe hypersensitivity to a stimulus, usually sensory (e.g. photophobia). In common usage, they also form words that describe dislike or hatred of a particular thing or subject (e.g. homophobia). The suffix is antonymic to -phil-.
For more information on the psychiatric side, including how psychiatry groups phobias such as agoraphobia, social phobia, or simple phobia, see phobia. The following lists include words ending in -phobia, and include fears that have acquired names. In some cases, the naming of phobias has become a word game, of notable example being a 1998 humorous article published by BBC News. [1] In some cases, a word ending in -phobia may have an antonym with the suffix -phil- , e.g. Germanophobe/Germanophile.
Many -phobia lists circulate on the Internet, with words collected from indiscriminate sources, often copying each other. Also, a number of psychiatric websites exist that at the first glance cover a huge number of phobias, but in fact use a standard text to fit any phobia and reuse it for all unusual phobias by merely changing the name. Sometimes it leads to bizarre results, such as suggestions to cure "prostitute phobia". [2] Such practice is known as content spamming and is used to attract search engines.
An article published in 1897 in American Journal of Psychology noted "the absurd tendency to give Greek names to objects feared (which, as Arndt says, would give us such terms as klopsophobia – fear of thieves, triakaidekaphobia – fear of the number 13....)". [3]
This section needs more reliable medical references for verification or relies too heavily on primary sources .(July 2023) |
Specialists may prefer to avoid the suffix -phobia and use more descriptive terms such as personality disorders, anxiety disorders, and avoidant personality disorder. Terms should strictly have a Greek prefix although many are irregularly formed with Latin or even English prefixes. Many use inaccurate or imprecise prefixes, such as aerophobia (fear of air) for fear of flying.
Phobia | Condition |
---|---|
Achluophobia | fear of darkness |
Acousticophobia | fear of noise – a branch of phonophobia |
Acrophobia | fear of heights |
Aerophobia | fear of aircraft or flying |
Agoraphobia | fear of certain inescapable/unsafe situations |
Agyrophobia | fear of crossing streets |
Aichmophobia | fear of sharp or pointed objects such as a needle or knife |
Ailurophobia | fear/dislike of cats, a zoophobia |
Alektorophobia | fear/dislike of chickens, a zoophobia |
Anatidaephobia | fear/dislike of ducks, a zoophobia |
Algophobia | fear of pain |
Alliumphobia | fear of the strong-scented Allium genus: garlic, onions, chives, shallots [4] [5] [6] [7] |
Ancraophobia | fear of wind or drafts |
Androphobia | fear of adult men [8] |
Anthropophobia | fear of human beings [8] |
Apeirophobia | excessive fear of infinity, eternity, and the uncountable |
Aphenphosmphobia | fear of being touched |
Apiphobia | fear of bees, a zoophobia |
Apotemnophobia | fear of amputees, and/or of becoming an amputee [9] [10] |
Aquaphobia | fear of water. Distinct from hydrophobia, a scientific property that makes chemicals averse to interaction with water, as well as an archaic name for rabies. |
Arachnophobia | fear of spiders and other arachnids such as scorpions, a zoophobia |
Astraphobia | fear of thunder and lightning |
Atelophobia | fear of imperfection |
Atychiphobia | fear of failure [11] or negative evaluations of others |
Autophobia | fear of isolation [12] |
Phobia | Condition |
---|---|
Bacteriophobia | fear of bacteria |
Basophobia, basiphobia | fear associated with astasia-abasia (fear of walking/standing erect) and a fear of falling |
Batrachophobia | fear/dislike of frogs and other amphibians, a zoophobia |
Belonephobia | fear of needles or pins [13] [14] |
Bibliophobia | fear of books |
Blood-injection-injury type phobia | a DSM-IV subtype of specific phobias |
Phobia | Condition |
---|---|
Cacophobia, aschimophobia | fear of ugliness |
Carcinophobia | fear of cancer |
Catoptrophobia | fear of mirrors |
Chemophobia | fear of chemicals |
Cherophobia | fear of happiness |
Chiroptophobia | fear/dislike of bats, a zoophobia |
Chromophobia, chromatophobia | fear of colors |
Chronophobia | fear of time and time moving forward |
Chronomentrophobia | fear of clocks [15] |
Cibophobia, sitophobia | aversion to food, synonymous with anorexia nervosa |
Claustrophobia | fear of having no escape and being closed in |
Coimetrophobia | fear of cemeteries |
Coprophobia | fear of feces or defecation [8] |
Coulrophobia | fear of clowns [16] |
Cyberphobia | fear of computers |
Cynophobia | fear/dislike of dogs, a zoophobia |
Cephalalgiaphobia | Fear of headaches |
Phobia | Condition |
---|---|
Dendrophobia | fear of trees [17] [18] |
Dental fear, odontophobia | fear of dentists and dental procedures |
Dentophobia | fear of dentists |
Diagraphephobia | fear of deleting files or an extreme fear of losing your computer data. [19] |
Domatophobia | fear of houses |
Driving phobia, driving anxiety | fear of driving |
Dysmorphophobia, body dysmorphic disorder | a phobic obsession with a real or imaginary body defect |
Dystichiphobia | fear of being involved in an accident [20] |
Phobia | Condition |
---|---|
Ecophobia | fear of cataclysmic environmental change |
Eisoptrophobia | fear of mirrors or seeing one's reflection in a mirror [21] [22] |
Emetophobia | fear of vomiting |
Enochlophobia | fear of crowds |
Entomophobia | fear/dislike of insects, a zoophobia |
Ephebiphobia | fear of youth; inaccurate, exaggerated and sensational characterization of young people |
Equinophobia | fear of horses |
Ergophobia, ergasiophobia | fear of work or functioning, or a surgeon's fear of operating |
Erotophobia | fear of sexual love or sexual abuse |
Erythrophobia, erytophobia, ereuthophobia | fear of the color red, or fear of blushing |
Eurotophobia | aversion to female genitals |
Phobia | Condition |
---|---|
Frigophobia | fear of becoming too cold |
Phobia | Condition |
---|---|
Galeophobia | fear of sharks |
Gamophobia | fear of marriage |
Gelotophobia | fear of being laughed at |
Gephyrophobia | fear of bridges |
Genophobia, coitophobia | fear of sexual intercourse |
Genuphobia | fear of knees or the act of kneeling |
Gerascophobia | fear of growing old or aging |
Gerontophobia | fear of growing old, or a hatred or fear of the elderly |
Globophobia | fear of balloons |
Glossophobia | fear of speaking in public or of trying to speak |
Gymnophobia | fear of nudity [23] |
Gynophobia | fear of adult women |
Phobia | Condition |
---|---|
Halitophobia | fear of bad breath |
Haphephobia | fear of being touched |
Heptadekaphobia, heptadecaphobia | fear of the number 17 |
Hedonophobia | fear of obtaining pleasure |
Heliophobia | fear of the sun or sunlight |
Helminthophobia, scoleciphobia, vermiphobia | fear of worms, [24] a zoophobia |
Hemophobia, haemophobia | fear of blood |
Herpetophobia | fear/dislike of reptiles or amphibians, a zoophobia |
Hexakosioihexekontahexaphobia | fear of the number 666 |
Hippophobia | fear/dislike of horses, [25] a zoophobia |
Hodophobia | fear of travel |
Hydrophobia [26] | fear of water, see aquaphobia |
Hypnophobia, somniphobia | fear of sleep or nightmares [27] |
Hypochondria | fear of illness |
Phobia | Condition |
---|---|
Ichthyophobia | fear of fish, including fear of eating fish, or fear of dead fish, a zoophobia |
Insectophobia | fear of insects, a zoophobia |
Phobia | Condition |
---|---|
Koumpounophobia | fear of buttons on clothing [28] |
Phobia | Condition |
---|---|
Lilapsophobia | fear of tornadoes or hurricanes |
Lepidopterophobia | fear of butterflies and moths, a zoophobia |
Phobia | Condition |
---|---|
Mageiricophobia | fear of cooking |
Masklophobia | fear of people in masks, costumes and mascots |
Megalophobia | fear of large objects |
Melanophobia | fear of the color black |
Melissophobia, apiphobia | fear/dislike of bees, a zoophobia |
Monophobia | fear of being alone or isolated or of one's self |
Musophobia, murophobia, suriphobia | fear/dislike of mice or rats, a zoophobia |
Mycophobia | fear of mushrooms [29] |
Myrmecophobia | fear of ants, a zoophobia |
Mysophobia, germophobia | fear of germs, contamination or dirt |
Phobia | Condition |
---|---|
Necrophobia | fear of death or the dead |
Neophobia, cainophobia, cainotophobia, centophobia, kainolophobia, kainophobia, metathesiophobia, prosophobia | fear of newness, novelty, change or progress |
Noctiphobia | fear of the night |
Nomophobia | fear of being out of mobile phone contact |
Nosocomephobia | fear of hospitals |
Nosophobia | fear of contracting a disease |
Nostophobia, ecophobia | fear of returning home |
Numerophobia | fear of numbers |
Nyctophobia, achluophobia, lygophobia, scotophobia | fear of darkness |
Phobia | Condition |
---|---|
Obesophobia | fear of gaining weight |
Oikophobia | fear of home surroundings and household appliances |
Odontophobia | dental fear |
Ommetaphobia | fear of eyes |
Oneirophobia | fear of dreams |
Ophidiophobia | fear/dislike of snakes, a zoophobia |
Ophthalmophobia | fear of being stared at |
Ornithophobia | fear/dislike of birds, a zoophobia |
Osmophobia, olfactophobia | fear of odors |
Ostraconophobia | fear/dislike of shellfish, a zoophobia |
Phobia | Condition |
---|---|
Panphobia | fear of everything or constant generalised fear of an unknown cause |
Pedophobia, paedophobia, pediaphobia | fear of babies and children |
Phagophobia | fear of swallowing |
Phallophobia | fear of erections or penises |
Pharmacophobia | fear of medications |
Phasmophobia | fear of ghosts or phantoms |
Philophobia | fear of love |
Phyllophobia | fear of leaves [30] [31] [32] [33] |
Phobophobia | fear of fear itself or of having a phobia |
Phonophobia | fear of loud sounds or voices |
Pogonophobia | fear of beards |
Pornophobia | dislike or fear of pornography; may be used in reference to the opposition to visual nudity |
Porphyrophobia | fear of the color purple |
Pteromerhanophobia | fear of flying |
Pyrophobia | fear of fire |
Phobia | Condition |
---|---|
Radiophobia | fear of radioactivity or X-rays |
Ranidaphobia | fear/dislike of frogs, a zoophobia |
Phobia | Condition |
---|---|
Scopophobia | fear of being looked at or stared at |
Sexophobia | fear of sexual organs or sexual activities |
Siderodromophobia | fear of trains or railroads |
Social phobia | fear of people or social situations |
Somniphobia | fear of sleep |
Spectrophobia | fear of mirrors |
Spheksophobia | fear of wasps, a zoophobia |
Stasiphobia | fear of standing or walking |
Submechanophobia | fear of partially or fully submerged man-made objects [34] [35] |
Phobia | Condition |
---|---|
Taphophobia, taphephobia | fear of graves, or fear of being placed in a grave while still alive |
Technophobia | fear of advanced technology (see also Luddite) |
Telephone phobia | fear or reluctance of making or taking telephone calls |
Teratophobia | fear of giving birth to a monster [36] or a disfigured foetus [37] |
Tetraphobia | fear of the number 4 |
Thalassophobia | fear of the sea, or fear of being in the ocean |
Thanatophobia | fear of dying |
Thermophobia | fear of intolerance to high temperatures |
Tokophobia | fear of childbirth or pregnancy |
Tomophobia | fear of invasive medical procedure [38] |
Tonitrophobia | fear of thunder |
Toxiphobia | fear of being poisoned |
Traumatophobia | a synonym for injury phobia: fear of having an injury |
Trichophobia | delusional fear of something in the roots of the hair that stops it from growing, [39] or fear of hair loss |
Triskaidekaphobia, terdekaphobia | fear of the number 13 |
Trypanophobia, belonephobia, enetophobia | fear of needles or injections |
Trypophobia | fear of holes or textures with a pattern of holes [40] |
Phobia | Condition |
---|---|
Vehophobia | fear of driving |
Veloxrotaphobia | fear of roller coasters |
Verminophobia | fear of germs |
Phobia | Condition |
---|---|
Workplace phobia | fear of the workplace, a subset of ergophobia |
Phobia | Condition |
---|---|
Xanthophobia | fear of the color yellow |
Phobia | Condition |
---|---|
Zoophobia | fear of animals |
Phobia | Condition |
---|---|
Acephobia | fear/dislike of asexual people |
Aporophobia | fear/dislike of people without resources |
Biphobia | fear/dislike of bisexuality or bisexuals |
Ephebiphobia | fear/dislike of youth |
Gayphobia | fear/dislike of gay men (specifically) |
Gerontophobia, gerascophobia | fear/dislike of aging or the elderly |
Heterophobia | fear/dislike of heterosexuals |
Homophobia | fear/dislike of homosexuality, homosexuals, or gays (as opposed to lesbians) |
Lesbophobia | fear/dislike of lesbians |
Pedophobia | fear/dislike of babies or children |
Psychophobia | fear/dislike of mental illness or the mentally ill |
Transphobia | fear/dislike of transgender people |
The suffix -phobia is used to coin terms that denote a particular anti-ethnic or anti-demographic sentiment, such as Americanophobia, Europhobia, Francophobia, Hispanophobia, and Indophobia. Often a synonym with the prefix "anti-" already exists (e.g. Polonophobia vs. anti-Polonism). Anti-religious sentiments are expressed in terms such as Christianophobia and Islamophobia.
Phobia | Condition |
---|---|
Osmophobia | hypersensitivity to smells causing aversion to odors |
Phonophobia | hypersensitivity to sound causing aversion to sounds |
Photophobia | hypersensitivity to light causing aversion to light |
Phobia | Condition |
---|---|
Bibliophobia | fear or hatred of books, as a cultural phenomenon [41] |
Lipophobia | avoidance of fats in food [42] [43] [44] ( ) |
Coronaphobia | fear of COVID-19 [45] |
In the natural sciences, words with the suffix -phobia/-phobic generally describe a predisposition for avoidance and/or exclusion. For antonyms, see here
Phobia | Condition |
---|---|
Acidophobia | preference for non-acidic conditions |
Heliophobia | aversion to sunlight |
Hydrophobia | the property of being repelled by water |
Lipophobicity | the property of fat rejection (sometimes also called lipophobia) |
Oleophobicity | the property of oil rejection |
Photophobia (biology) | a negative phototaxis or phototropism response, or a tendency to stay out of the light |
Ultrahydrophobicity | the property given to materials that are extremely difficult to get wet |
Thermophobia | aversion to heat |
Anxiety is an emotion which is characterised by an unpleasant state of inner turmoil and includes feelings of dread over anticipated events. Anxiety is different from fear in that fear is defined as the emotional response to a present threat, whereas anxiety is the anticipation of a future one. It is often accompanied by nervous behavior such as pacing back and forth, somatic complaints, and rumination.
Arachnophobia is the fear of spiders and other arachnids such as scorpions and ticks. The word Arachnophobia comes from the Greek words arachne and phobia.
A phobia is an anxiety disorder, defined by an irrational, unrealistic, persistent and excessive fear of an object or situation. Phobias typically result in a rapid onset of fear and are usually present for more than six months. Those affected go to great lengths to avoid the situation or object, to a degree greater than the actual danger posed. If the object or situation cannot be avoided, they experience significant distress. Other symptoms can include fainting, which may occur in blood or injury phobia, and panic attacks, often found in agoraphobia and emetophobia. Around 75% of those with phobias have multiple phobias.
Anxiety disorders are a cluster of mental disorders characterized by significant and uncontrollable feelings of anxiety and fear such that a person's social, occupational, and personal functions are significantly impaired. Anxiety may cause physical and cognitive symptoms, such as restlessness, irritability, easy fatigue, difficulty concentrating, increased heart rate, chest pain, abdominal pain, and a variety of other symptoms that may vary based on the individual.
Agoraphobia is a mental and behavioral disorder, specifically an anxiety disorder characterized by symptoms of anxiety in situations where the person perceives their environment to be unsafe with no easy way to escape. These situations can include public transit, shopping centers, crowds and queues, or simply being outside their home on their own. Being in these situations may result in a panic attack. Those affected will go to great lengths to avoid these situations. In severe cases, people may become completely unable to leave their homes.
Specific phobia is an anxiety disorder, characterized by an extreme, unreasonable, and irrational fear associated with a specific object, situation, or concept which poses little or no actual danger. Specific phobia can lead to avoidance of the object or situation, persistence of the fear, and significant distress or problems functioning associated with the fear. A phobia can be the fear of anything.
Erotophobia is a term coined by a number of researchers in the late 1970s and early 1980s to describe one pole on a continuum of attitudes and beliefs about sexuality. The model of the continuum is a basic polarized line, with erotophobia at one end and erotophilia at the other end.
Acrophobia, also known as hipsophobia, is an extreme or irrational fear or phobia of heights, especially when one is not particularly high up. It belongs to a category of specific phobias, called space and motion discomfort, that share similar causes and options for treatment.
Aquaphobia is an irrational fear of water.
Necrophobia is a specific phobia, the irrational fear of dead organisms as well as things associated with death. With all types of emotions, obsession with death becomes evident in both fascination and objectification. In a cultural sense, necrophobia may also be used to mean a fear of the dead by a cultural group, e.g., a belief that the spirits of the dead will return to haunt the living.
Fear of needles, known in medical literature as needle phobia, is the extreme fear of medical procedures involving injections or hypodermic needles. This can lead to avoidance of medical care and vaccine hesitancy.
Pseudodysphagia, in its severe form, is the irrational fear of swallowing or, in its minor form, of choking. The symptoms are psychosomatic, so while the sensation of difficult swallowing feels authentic to the individual, it is not based on a real physical symptom. It is important that dysphagia be ruled out before a diagnosis of pseudodysphagia is made.
Nosophobia, also known as disease phobia or illness anxiety disorder, is the irrational fear of contracting a disease, a type of specific phobia. Primary fears of this kind are fear of contracting HIV infection, pulmonary tuberculosis (phthisiophobia), sexually transmitted infections, cancer (carcinophobia), heart diseases (cardiophobia), and catching the common cold or flu.
Cynophobia is the fear of dogs and canines in general. Cynophobia is classified as a specific phobia, under the subtype "animal phobias". According to Timothy O. Rentz of the Laboratory for the Study of Anxiety Disorders at the University of Texas, animal phobias are among the most common of the specific phobias and 36% of patients who seek treatment report being afraid of dogs or afraid of cats. Although ophidiophobia or arachnophobia are more common animal phobias, cynophobia is especially debilitating because of the high prevalence of dogs and the general ignorance of dog owners to the phobia. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV-TR) reports that only 12% to 30% of those with a specific phobia will seek treatment.
In psychology, desensitization is a treatment or process that diminishes emotional responsiveness to a negative, aversive, or positive stimulus after repeated exposure. Desensitization can also occur when an emotional response is repeatedly evoked when the action tendency associated with the emotion proves irrelevant or unnecessary. The process of desensitization was developed by psychologist Mary Cover Jones and is primarily used to assist individuals in unlearning phobias and anxieties. Desensitization is a psychological process where a response is repeatedly elicited in circumstances where the emotion's propensity for action is irrelevant. Joseph Wolpe (1958) developed a method of a hierarchal list of anxiety-evoking stimuli in order of intensity, which allows individuals to undergo adaptation. Although medication is available for individuals with anxiety, fear, or phobias, empirical evidence supports desensitization with high rates of cure, particularly in clients with depression or schizophrenia. Wolpe's "reciprocal inhibition" desensitization process is based on well-known psychology theories such as Hull's "drive-reduction" theory and Sherrington's concept of "reciprocal inhibition." Individuals are gradually exposed to anxiety triggers while using relaxation techniques to reduce anxiety. It is an effective treatment for anxiety disorders.
Ailurophobia is the persistent and excessive fear of cats. Like other specific phobias, the exact cause of ailurophobia is unknown, and potential treatment generally involves therapy. The name comes from the Greek words αἴλουρος, 'cat', and φόβος, 'fear'. Other names for ailurophobia include: felinophobia, elurophobia, gatophobia, and cat phobia. A person with this phobia is known as an ailurophobe.
The Greek root -phil- originates from the Greek word meaning "love". For example, philosophy is the study of human customs and the significance of life. One of the most common uses of the root -phil- is with philias.
Social anxiety is the anxiety and fear specifically linked to being in social settings. Some categories of disorders associated with social anxiety include anxiety disorders, mood disorders, autism spectrum disorders, eating disorders, and substance use disorders. Individuals with higher levels of social anxiety often avert their gazes, show fewer facial expressions, and show difficulty with initiating and maintaining a conversation. Social anxiety commonly manifests itself in the teenage years and can be persistent throughout life; however, people who experience problems in their daily functioning for an extended period of time can develop social anxiety disorder. Trait social anxiety, the stable tendency to experience this anxiety, can be distinguished from state anxiety, the momentary response to a particular social stimulus. Half of the individuals with any social fears meet the criteria for social anxiety disorder. Age, culture, and gender impact the severity of this disorder. The function of social anxiety is to increase arousal and attention to social interactions, inhibit unwanted social behavior, and motivate preparation for future social situations.
Social anxiety disorder (SAD), also known as social phobia, is an anxiety disorder characterized by sentiments of fear and anxiety in social situations, causing considerable distress and impairing ability to function in at least some aspects of daily life. These fears can be triggered by perceived or actual scrutiny from others. Individuals with social anxiety disorder fear negative evaluations from other people.
Trypophobia is an aversion to the sight of repetitive patterns or clusters of small holes or bumps. It is not officially recognized as a mental disorder, but may be diagnosed as a specific phobia if excessive fear and distress occur. Most affected people experience mainly disgust when they see trypophobic imagery. A minority of people experience the same level of fear and disgust, and a few express only disgust or fear.
Dracula no doubt would have alliumphobia, the fear of garlic.
From the 1880s to the 1930s, a period of accelerated immigration and great social change, garlic was the stench of the flophouse, the dominant note in the 'rich olfactory uneasiness' that blew in from Ellis Island, and the go-to metaphor for immigrant neighborhoods. Its sulfurous tang was almost beside the point; the bulb smelled of foreign incursion.
While humans appear to be relatively resistant to onion toxicity, there is some concern about the susceptibility of certain ethnic groups that have a genetic deficiency of G6PD. / Onion toxicity depends on factors other than variation in species susceptibility. Onions contain varying amounts of disulfide and SMCO toxins, depending on the species of onion, time of year, and growing conditions. Storing onions in large piles also provides a suitable environment for contamination of the crop with other toxins, such as mycotoxins, which could contribute to the disease process.
Chives can be potential gastrointestinal irritants in some people. The reactive oxidants released by chives can stimulate bowel problems such as diarrhoea and acid reflux. / Alliums can cause digestive disorders. Chives belong to the Allium genus and have an acidic pH of 5.75. It is a pH range that would make gastritis worse. Moreover, the high fructans content in chives triggers acid reflux. It would aggravate gastritis.
Chronomentrophobia is the irrational fear of clocks, which usually extends to watches. ... The mere sight or sound of a ticking clock can cause depression and anxiety. People with this fear avoid clocks at all costs....
Years ago, I had a terrifying nightmare. I was back in Konstanz, my German hometown, walking in a beautiful forest adjacent to the lake. Suddenly, the giant trees surrounding me ripped their roots out of the earth and began to run after me, chasing me all the way out of the forest. I ran and ran, fearing for my life. Later I learned that my dream had its roots in an ancient phobia of trees called dendrophobia, a primordial terror linked to a sense that trees are more alive than we think. For those suffering from dendrophobia, trees have a paradoxical mobility that enables them to use their roots to grab humans or even kill them by willfully dropping their branches on them. Dendrophobia, an officially recognized mental illness that may in extreme cases lead to institutionalization, is linked to trees being recognized not simply as living beings but rather as hostile ones, intent on inflicting harm on humans or even killing them.
phyllophobia… An excessive fear of leaves: Each time Virginia saw the excessive amount of leafage on the ground in the fall, she had phyllophobia because it was the time of year to do the raking which took many days to complete!
However it might be useful this autumn to know that phyllophobia is a fear of leaves….
phyllophobia: An excessive fear of leaves.
Phyllophobia, the fear of leaves, might not be as much in the news this autumn as coulrophobia, the fear of clowns. But anywhere that crinkly, dead leaves are, some people are scared of them.
A catalogue of unusual phobias reveals that the fear of long words is known as hippopotomonstrosesquipedaliophobia.