What is a Pun? Definition and Examples from Literature & Film

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Published: July 8, 2024 | Last Updated: December 4, 2024

Pun Definition & Meaning

A pun is a literary device that uses the multiple meanings of words or similar-sounding words for humor or emphasis. In screenplays, puns add wit, humor, or cleverness to dialogue. They can also reflect a character’s personality or create a playful tone in a scene.

Pun Examples and Types

There are many types of puns and many ways to use them in your writing. In Table 1, you can see a quick overview:

Pun TypeDefinitionExample
Homophonic PunsExploit words that sound similar but have different meanings and spellings.‘You can tune a guitar, but you can’t tuna fish.’

‘Tuna’ refers to the fish, while ‘tune’ refers to adjusting a musical instrument.
Homographic Puns (aka heteronymic puns)Play on words spelled the same with different meanings and sometimes different pronunciations.‘Time flies like an arrow; fruit flies like a banana.’

‘Flies’ in the first clause refers to the verb (to move through the air), while the second clause refers to the noun (the insect).
Homonymic PunsInvolve words that are both homophones (sound the same) and homographs (spelled the same), thus having the same form but different meanings.‘A horse is a very stable animal.’

‘Stable’ can refer to a building where horses are kept and also mean steady or not prone to change.
Compounded PunsCombine two or more words to create a play on words.‘He drove his expensive car into a tree and found out how the Mercedes bends.’

This combines ‘Mercedes-Benz’ (a car brand) with ‘bends’ to create a play on words.
Recursive PunsPuns that refer to themselves or make use of self-referential humor.‘I used to be a baker, but I couldn’t make enough dough.’

Here, ‘dough’ is recursively referring to both money and bread dough, with a self-referential implication that the speaker is making a pun.
Visual PunsPrimarily based on visual representation rather than sound or spelling.A drawing of a fish with a caption that reads ‘fishsticks,’ combining the visual of a fish and the idea of ‘fish sticks’ (a food).
Paronomastic PunsUse words that sound similar but have different meanings (a form of homophonic puns).‘A bicycle can’t stand on its own because it’s two-tired.’

‘Two-tired’ sounds like ‘too tired,’ creating a pun.
Metonymic PunsUse a word associated with the thing it denotes, often through a figure of speech.‘The pen is mightier than the sword.’

Here, ‘pen’ represents writing and ‘sword’ represents military force.
Sylleptic/Heteronymic PunsUse a word that is spelled the same but has different meanings or pronunciations.‘He bolted the door and then bolted.’

‘Bolted’ can mean both to secure with a bolt and to run away quickly.
Antanaclasis PunsRepeat a word or phrase but with different meanings each time.‘Your argument is sound, nothing but sound.’

The first ‘sound’ refers to being logical or solid, while the second ‘sound’ refers to noise, implying emptiness.
Graphological PunsPlay on the visual form of the words or letters, often seen in concrete poetry or typographical play.A poem shaped like an apple tree, where the words form the trunk and branches.
The visual arrangement of words contributes to the meaning or humor.
Morphological PunsBlending two or more words or morphemes to create a new word (portmanteau).‘Brunch’ (from ‘breakfast’ and ‘lunch’).

This new word combines the meanings of both original words to create something unique.
Table 1: Pun Types, definitions, and examples.

Puns in Movies

Puns are found across various movie genres but are especially prominent in comedy and parody.

They are also used as black comedy or morbid humor in, for example, horror subgenres or action movies (fx as oneliners) to emphasize the grotesque or to make a killer or antihero seem even more cold-blooded.

Sometimes, puns are even used as a title or tagline.

Here is a brief analysis of a couple of examples from screenplays.

1. “Surely you can’t be serious.” “I am serious, and don’t call me Shirley.” – Airplane! (1980)

Type of Pun: Homophonic Pun

This pun plays on the homophones “surely” and “Shirley.” The humor arises from the character’s misunderstanding of “surely” (meaning “certainly”) as “Shirley” (a common name).

2. “I’m a mog: half man, half dog. I’m my own best friend.” – Barf in Spaceballs (1987)

Type of Pun: Morphological Pun

This pun combines “man” and “dog” into the portmanteau “mog.” The humor is in the blend of species and the double meaning of being one’s “own best friend,” literally and figuratively.

Also, the character name Barf is a pun on the “bark.” The name “Barf” sounds similar to “bark,” which is a dog’s sound (i.e., a homophonic pun).

But it’s also a homonymic pun because this play on words uses the auditory similarity between “barf” (vomit) and “bark” (dog sound) to create humor, particularly fitting given Barf’s dog-like characteristics.

3. “Comb the Desert” – Spaceballs (1987)

Type of Pun: Visual (idiomatic)

In this scene, Dark Helmet has ordered his troops to “comb the desert” in search of the heroes. The joke is made clear when the scene cuts to the troops dragging large combs across the sand, taking the figurative language literally.

The pun works because it subverts the audience’s expectations. Viewers are familiar with the idiomatic expression, so seeing the literal interpretation creates a surprising and absurd visual gag.

4. “Allow myself to introduce… myself.” – Austin Powers to Number 2 in Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997)

Type of Pun: Recursive Pun

Austin Powers is filled with puns. In this scene, Mr. Powers introduces himself redundantly and humorously, playing on the repetition of “myself” to create a comedic effect.

In the same scene, we meet Dr. Evil’s “Number 2,” who fronts his evil corporation, Virtucon Industries. “Number 2” is, of course, a paronomastic pun on the euphemism for taking a s***.

The humor arises from the contrast between the serious, authoritative role of the character and the childish or bathroom-related connotation of “number two.” This juxtaposition adds a layer of absurdity and levity to the character’s name and interactions.

5. Chopping Mall – ‘Where Shopping Costs You An Arm And A Leg’ (1986)

Type of Pun: Paronomastic Pun

The title itself Chopping Mall, and the tagline “Where Shopping Costs You An Arm And A Leg” from the horror-comedy film Chopping Mall (1986) are clear examples of puns:

The title combines “shopping mall” with “chopping,” creating a play on words. The tagline plays on the idiomatic expression “costs an arm and a leg,” which typically means something is very expensive.

Summing Up

Puns in movies are more than just a source of laughter. They can range from subtle wordplay to overt jokes that take things literally.

Consider using puns in your screenplays as characterization, dialogue, intertextual or cultural references, subtle commentary, or even titles and marketing.

Hopefully, this article has given you some food for thought. Now, go writing. Metaphors be with you.

Up Next: What is Jocularity in Film?

By Jan Sørup

Jan Sørup is a indie filmmaker, videographer and photographer from Denmark. He owns filmdaft.com and the Danish company Apertura, which produces video content for big companies in Denmark and Scandinavia. Jan has a background in music, has drawn webcomics, and is a former lecturer at the University of Copenhagen.

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