Line #161 Main/WordsCanBreakMyBones


1	[[quoteright:270:[[Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/stun.png]]]]
2	[[caption-width-right:270:So potent, it takes up 8 pages in a spellbook!]]
3
4	->''"My name is a killing word."''
5	-->-- '''Paul Atreides''', ''Film/Dune1984''
6
7	''Abracadabra!''
8
9	Another magic trope that is OlderThanDirt, the idea of words that hold magic power unto themselves has been around since AncientEgypt. Often paired and sometimes lumped with the power of {{True Name}}s, words of power are common parts of a wizard's bag of tricks.
10
11	Words of Power may be a part of a LanguageOfMagic but are distinct in several ways.
12	* Words of power have fairly rigidly defined effects. With the Language Of Magic you can write spells while words of power ''are'' the spell.
13	* While words of power may be part of a Language Of Magic, it is not always so, or if they are it may not be explicitly said to be so, or the language in question may be a lost or fragmented one.
14
15	Other defining features: words of power tend to be comparatively short utterances — short phrases at most — that one can fire and forget rather quickly instead of a [[MagicalIncantation longer incantation]]. Offensive-leaning words frequently hit for massive damage and may be a justification for CallingYourAttacks and {{Invocation}}.
16
17	In a fairly frequent variation of this, the word itself is variable and the character themself has the ability to imbue it with power. Put enough will and maybe some AppliedPhlebotinum behind carefully chosen words and you can potentially deliver [[ImHavingSoulPains spiritual hurting]] as well as physical. In some visual media this is sometimes displayed with a SightGag of the written word impacting the character.
18
19	A subtrope of Language Of Magic. Compare to IKnowYourTrueName (which was split from this). Contrast and compare MagicalIncantation. Compare to BrownNote, which includes sounds, images and larger written works that have powerful negative effects on the audience. Contrast SuperScream, where it's the act of speaking that causes the damage, and the words shouted are secondary if they're even intelligible. See also RitualMagic. HarshWordImpact is a metafictional version. Also compare SpeakOfTheDevil and TheScottishTrope. If the words themselves have no inherent power, but a character is still harmed by them, that's VerbalWeakness. If words provoke a fight by being hurtful in the ordinary way, that’s a FisticuffProvokingComment. Works using this trope will often discuss ThePowerOfLanguage. RhymingWizardry often results in this.
20	----
21	!!Examples:
22
23	[[foldercontrol]]
24
25	[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
26	%%* The Lotis and Maram Words from Yuu Watase's manga ''Manga/{{Alice 19th}}''.
27	* Skuld from ''Manga/AhMyGoddess'' gains the ability to forcefully "print" her words on people or things. While not very powerful, it appears to involve enough force to stagger people. Both Urd and Keiichi are frequent victims of this, with Skuld's favorite insults for them being "idiot" and "pervert", respectively.
28	* ''Manga/{{Aphorism}}'' is about a [[ExtranormalInstitute supernatural high school]] where each student must choose a kanji character whose meaning, [[YourMindMakesItReal combined with the power of the student's imagination]], will later be used as the student's weapon in various battles and trials.
29	* ''Manga/BlackClover'': Zagred possesses Word Soul Magic, which allows him to manipulate his environment through speech: by saying such things as "lightning lance", "iron spear" or "earth shield", he can conjure constructs of physical matter as described by his words and use them to attack his enemies; being physical matter instead of magical constructs, they cannot be absorbed or dispelled like regular magic. This extends to words like "bind", "split open" or "crumble", which enacts such effects on his target, and he can even use it to heal his injuries simply by saying "heal". Zagred can amp up the [[NightmareFuel horror factor]] by [[BlackSpeech speaking words in his native devil tongue]], which can summon a trident capable of breaking down matter or even {{Eldritch Abomination}}s from the Underworld. Two major limitations of this magic are that Zagred cannot use it to command people to die and that he cannot use it to block Yami's [[CastingAShadow Dark Magic]], which can affect beings from the Underworld.
30	* Arias can kill lesser demons in ''Manga/BlueExorcist'' by reciting a "Fatal Verse", a segment from the bible and other holy scriptures. The problem is that there is a different verse for each type of demon (thus you must memorize which verse kills who), and the Aria becomes defenseless until finishing reciting.
31	* Played literally in ''Manga/BoboboboBobobo'' - the Cyber Knight Poet can use attacks that come from flying kanji he summons, which spells out the attack name.
32	* This appears several times in ''Literature/ACertainMagicalIndex''. In its first form, magicians must first state their magic name to begin using their actual magic. We later see [[spoiler: Index in her Johan's Pen mode]] utter the words "Eli Eli Lama Sabachthani?" literally "God, God, why have you forsaken me?" to power up a spell specifically to destroy Stiyl's [[ElementalEmbodiment Flame Summon]]. Towards the end, this trope is again invoked when [[spoiler: Index]] interferes with the control spells in place on a golem simply by uttering [[GratuitousEnglish English letters]] in certain sequences; they're the initials of each word in a sentence that issues a specific command, e.g. "TTTR" stands for "Turn To The Right", which forces the golem to swing its arm to its right instead of striking her.
33	* In ''Anime/DigimonUniverseAppMonsters'', Messemon can create exploding speech bubbles just by talking. The attack can be avoided by saying you've already read them, effectively "marking them as read."
34	* ''Manga/{{Doraemon}}'' has a potion-based gadget, the "Voice Thickener / Voice Amplifier / Sonic Solidifier" (depending on dub) which allows the drinker to shout word-shaped projectiles at their targets. In the original comics Nobita uses it as an easy means of transportation (by hopping on frozen words and letting it propel himself across the air) but later stops using the gadget when his words unintentionally caused an accident. Said gadget was a one-shot in the original series but returns with more prominence in the post-2005 movies like ''Anime/DoraemonNobitaAndTheIslandOfMiraclesAnimalAdventure'', ''Anime/DoraemonGreatAdventureInTheAntarcticKachiKochi'' and ''Anime/DoraemonNobitasChronicleOfTheMoonExploration'', usually used by Gian, the loudest in the gang, to blast words at enemies.
35	* In the 12th ''Anime/DragonBallZ'' movie ''Anime/FusionReborn'', Pikkon finds out that the hold that Janemba, the [[RealityWarper reality-warping]] BigBad, has over the afterlife is weakened by harsh words. So after he releases Enma Daiou, he joins Goku and Vegeta in the battle, and holds Janemba off by [[ClusterFBomb cursing at him]], breaking apart his face, then firing ki blasts at him.
36	* Levy and Fried in ''Manga/FairyTail'' have this power, except their words must be written rather than spoken. Levy writes in English, while Fried writes in a made up rune language. As a result Levy's effects are simple but quick (instantly create a block of metal, or a trap hole, or fire, or wind) while Fried's are complex ("Nobody in this space can use magic." "Nobody can leave the space until everyone else has been defeated") but take time to set up. Levy later learns Fried's language, giving her the ability to rewrite his spells to cancel or change their effects.
37	** {{Elite Mook\|s}} Yomazu can to this as well, only he writes his in Japanese with his sword. As a result he can abruptly change the effect without rewriting simply by declaring a different meaning of the Kanji.
38	* The Haiku Poet Warrior from ''Manga/HunterXHunter'' has the ability to invoke powers and consequences through reciting a haiku poem. During his introduction of the Yorknew City arc, Kurapika and a group of other hunters are all gathered together into a room while waiting for their client to show up. They all get ambushed by a group of mooks, and later learn that it was someone in the room who set it up. By invoking a Haiku, anyone who lied about being the perpetrator would die. The perp confessed, but it was set up as a test of the group's skills for their job. His haikus have the ability to have more direct, tangible effects as well.
39	* [[spoiler:Eu]] from ''Literature/IsThisAZombie'' is so powerful that she [[CuteMute never speaks]] because her very words can [[RealityWarper affect reality]]. She can even kill someone just by speaking the word "die". The only defense against her words is to [[DisabilityImmunity be unable to hear them]].
40	* ''Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventure'':
41	** In the 4th part, Koichi gets various forms of this as his Stand power. What happens is that if his Stand hits another person, words get written on him or, her which start to call out whatever the word is in an increasing volume. Next is when he makes a word and throws it onto something if someone touches the word the effect will take place. For example, touching the word "whooooosh" blows someone away, touching "burn" cause someone to catch on fire, and touching "bounce" will cause someone to bounce off the object the word is attached to, regardless of how sharp the object is normally, without harm.
42	** In part 7, the character Sandman gets a similar Stand, though his also seems to be contagious. It's exactly as confusing as it sounds.
43	* ''Manga/JujutsuKaisen'': Toge Inumaki's cursed technique is known as Cursed Speech, and it allows him to control the world around him with his words. For example, saying "blow away" will knock someone back by a truckload, and telling someone to "run away" will force their bodies to follow the order. However, he suffers from PowerIncontinence as the ability is always active, hence his character quirk of only speaking in onigiri ingredients: they're the only thing he can say without risk of unleashing a powerful attack. He also ''does not'' possess any RequiredSecondaryPowers and ''will'' wear his vocal chords out if his powers are overtaxed either by overuse, usage of overly powerful words like "die", or usage against an overly powerful opponent, so he keeps cough medicine on his person at all times.
44	* In the anime (and original manga) ''{{Manga/Loveless}}'', characters participate in Spell Battles where words do exactly what they say, restraining, cutting, burning, or banishing opponents. The effectiveness of an attack seems to be directly related to the floweriness or complexity of the spoken "spell".
45	* The Words of Awakening in ''Anime/{{Madlax}}'', which induce homicidal insanity.
46	* ''Manga/MedakaBox'': This seems to be the concept behind the "styles"; by utilizing wordplay, puns, metonymies, and other ways of manipulating words, the users can potentially manipulate or damage anyone. This includes the InvincibleVillain Ihiko
47	* An interesting variation in ''Manga/Mx0'': Fumi Izuno's magic object is a calligraphy brush, and her ability is that everything she writes with it acquires reality. For example, in the last Magic Class Match, she and another student are seen fighting a golem, and in a given moment, she writes the word "Defense" in the air with her brush; the words immediately turn into a magic shield that stops one of the golem's fists in front of her.
48	* ''Manga/MyHeroAcademia'': Manga Fukidashi from class 1-B has the quirk, Comic, which allows him to make onomatopoeia into reality. Once he's spoken it, the letters will materialize into reality along with their effects, allowing him to create anything from a giant wall to humidity. The only downside is that overuse of the quirk will make his throat sore.
49	* Scratchmen Apoo from ''Manga/OnePiece'' has this as his devil fruit power, his body is a musical instrument and his words can become reality, combined with Japanese having a huge amount of onomatopoeia, and you have a frighteningly effective fighter.
50	* A more literal version of this is in ''Manga/OPartsHunter'' where the character [[PunnyName Spika]] has an [[AppliedPhlebotinum O-Part]] that can materialize words she shouts into them that are like what she says (for example, when she yells "Spikey" the word "Spikey" in Japanese will appear in block letters with spikes coming out).
51	* Kotoha from ''Manga/YozakuraQuartet'' can create any object, as long as she knows what it's made of, with her words. And she is a MASSIVE fan of WWII Weaponry.
52	* ''Manga/YuYuHakusho'':
53	** One psychic has the ability to create a territory in which no one can say a taboo word. Anyone who does has their soul ripped out.
54	** Before that, it was shown that there are spells based on chanting which will backfire on the caster if the target doesn't hear the words being said.
55	[[/folder]]
56
57	[[folder:Comic Books]]
58	* Johnny Thunder summons his Thunderbolt by uttering the words "Cei u" which in English sounds just like "say you". Initially Johnny was unaware of the Thunderbolt's existence and would inadvertently cause all sorts of mystical effects.
59	* Not exactly words per se, but the Anti-Life Equation in Franchise/TheDCU removes the free will of anyone who hears it. [[spoiler: During ''ComicBook/FinalCrisis'', [[Characters/NewGodsDarkseid Darkseid]] uses it in a terrifying manner when he enslaves ''three billion people'' at once.]]
60	** It's revealed that the Anti-Life Equation goes as follows: [[spoiler:Loneliness + Alienation + Fear + Despair + Self-worth ÷ Mockery ÷ Condemnation ÷ Misunderstanding x Guilt x Shame x Failure x Judgment, n=y where y=Hope and n=Folly, Love=Lies, Life=Death, Self=DARKSEID]]. Darkseid actually modified the Equation. Originally, [[spoiler:Self=Nothing]].
61	** In ''Superman and Batman: World's Funnest'', where Bat-Mite and Mr. Mxyzptlk fight their way through the DC Multiverse, Darkseid finds the equation is in fact [[spoiler: Bat-Mite + Mxy]]. He [[GoMadFromTheRevelation starts]] {{laughing\|Mad}}...
62	* In the ''ComicBook/DouweDabbert'' story ''The Witches of the Day Before Yesterday'', the dark dunes are controlled by three witches who keep saying "Wij zijn niet van gisteren" ("We weren't born yesterday"). Finally, Douwe figures it all out and declares that they were born the day ''before'' yesterday, [[spoiler: turning the witches into salamanders]].
63	* In ''ComicBook/ExMachina'', Mitchell's powers work like this, [[spoiler: as do Pherson's and Suzanne]]'s.
64	* In ''ComicBook/TheInvisibles'', the AncientConspiracy has suppressed knowledge of the hidden letters of the alphabet and the words that use those letters. Among other things, one of these words works as the [[BrownNote universal off switch]] for the human brain.
65	* The Creator/MarvelComics limited series, ''The Supernaturals'', had a version of the Characters/{{Black Cat\|MarvelComics}} who could cause things to happen by speaking certain phrases aloud (for example, she could make a noose snap by saying "break"). [[LogicalWeakness This ability was shown to be useless once Jack O'Lantern taped Felicia's mouth shut]].
66	* Nico Minoru from ''ComicBook/{{Runaways}}'' can use the Staff of One to create any magical effect she can describe (usually in one or two words). However, each description can only be used once. However, she can get the same effect more than once by using synonyms and different languages.
67	* ''ComicBook/{{Zatanna}}:'' Zatara can do just about anything by reciting words and sentences backwards. Her cousin Zachary can also do this although he can't directly affect living things.
68	[[/folder]]
69
70	[[folder:Comic Strips]]
71	* An ''ComicStrip/AndyCapp'' strip has Andy cursing at his landlord. The landlord says "Words can't hurt me, mate," followed by Andy beaning him with a dictionary. Andy: "You were saying?"
72	[[/folder]]
73
74	[[folder:Fan Works]]
75	* ''Fanfic/EmpathTheLuckiestSmurf'': Parodied in a mini-story that parodies a scene from ''Literature/LeftBehind'', where a shining figure on horseback appears in the sky, says "I AM WHO I AM", and turns the Antichrist's Smurf army into a puddle of chunky Smurf salsa. Played straight in "Under The Cat's Paw" (an adaptation of the 1980s cartoon show episode "All Creatures Great And Smurf") where Tapper's preaching of Jesus Christ while being under the paw of Azrael stops the cat dead as he just stares and listens to Tapper.
76	* ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/16226225/chapters/37928999 How Can You Smile With So Many Scars?]]'': Izuku and Katsuki encounter a villain called Scarred Memories whose Quirk allows him to leave word-shaped scars on a target's skin in the form of insults and cruel words that have hurt that person in the past. When they are both hit by the Quirk, Katsuki only gets a few scars, but Izuku is absolutely covered in wounds from all the cruel things Katsuki has said to him during their childhood and teenage years, giving Katsuki a MyGodWhatHaveIDone reaction.
77	* ''WebAnimation/HoloChronicles'': Aloe Mano's main ability of autosuggestion can be seen as a [[StoryBreakerPower cracked out]] version of [[Manga/JujutsuKaisen Inumaki's]] ability above. They can both affect the world around them with their words, but that's about where the similarities end. Not only can Aloe actually control whether or not her speech has any effect on her opponent, but she possesses none of the energy nor physicality limitations that restrict Inumaki's ability, meaning that unlike him, she actually ''can'' straight up tell her opponent to die and be done with it. Combined with her Demon Trait, it even lets her abilities affect the mental strength and emotions of her target, allowing her to eliminate your combat skills and such or even inflict select emotional states such as sadness or anger. And the worst part? Covering your ears ''[[SchmuckBait will not work]]''. Her voice itself needs to be eliminated for this power to not be an issue. While there is ''apparently'' a very simple counter to it, it is currently unknown, as Aloe herself isn't telling and Sora respects her decision not to.
78	* ''Fanfic/HopToIt'' has an akuma named Femme Defamation who can attack people with insults that manifest as giant rocks, but which won't affect anyone who can't understand them. It gives Jack an advantage because of her limited grasp of French - until she happens to give away that she's an English-speaker, which Femme Defamation has no problem adapting to.
79	-->'''Femme Defamation''': You have such funny sayings in your language. One of my favorites is — how does it go again? — Ah, yes. ‘Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me.’ How quaint. Well, let me tell you, girl. I can make words hurt a lot, you mangy, plebeian, insignificant, hideous chipmunk-cheeked freak! (''As she talks, rocks appear around her, which are then propelled at Jack, who gets knocked unconscious.'')
80	* ''FanFic/IronKissed'': This is Marinette's champion power. Her transformed form has a hand fan with five feathers, and each feather can be expended to cast a single-word spell ("Reveal", "Burn", "Heal", etc.).
81	* ''Fanfic/NineDaysDown'': Word magic is a form of spellcasting that creates effects by saying specific syllables in the right order. Gyges the hekatonkheire can do an especially powerful version of this, as each of his fifty heads can intone a different chant at once. Instead of recognizable words, Gyges' spellcasting consists of a cacophony of ear-grating sounds with no particularly obvious meaning.
82	-->''She'd heard of this. Word magic. Spells that were cast by saying the right syllables in the right ways. But she'd never guessed it could be so terrible. The whole tree-thing swayed with that maddening spell-speech, and Twilight wished more than anything that it would just stop.''
83	* ''Fanfic/PonyPOVSeries'': In the LooseCanon spinoff ''Dark World Drabbles'', it's revealed after the defeat of Future!Discord and [[spoiler:Nightmare Eclipse]], Diamond Tiara (who had been half of Discord's first set of CoDragons along with her mother) [[HeelFaceTurn is reformed]] and becomes Fluttercruel's RedeemingReplacement as Element of Cruelty. While her predecessor got the ability to create weapons from her body, Diamond's PersonalityPowers with the Elements cause opponents to feel like they've been cut when she insults them, the deeper her insult cuts them the more painful the 'cut'. She theorizes she may be able to ''actually'' cut if she hits hard enough, but this isn't confirmed.
84	[[/folder]]
85
86	[[folder:Film -- Animation]]
87	* In ''WesternAnimation/YellowSubmarine'', the words to the song "All You Need Is Love" come out of John's mouth as he sings it, allowing him to overwhelm the Flying Glove's assault on him.
88	[[/folder]]
89
90	[[folder:Film -- Live-Action]]
91	* ''Film/BedknobsAndBroomsticks'' give us the spell of Substitutiary Locomotion ("giving life to things without"): '''Treguna Mekoides Trecorum Satis Dee'''. Which sounds ''really'' creepy when the things the spell animates ([[AnimatedArmor like empty suits of armor]]) start repeating it...
92	* Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo - the magic words of the Fairy Godmother in Disney's ''WesternAnimation/{{Cinderella}}''.
93	* ''Film/Dune1984'' turns the "Weirding Way" from a super-powered martial art into a method of using words as a weapon, with technological assistance. It took Paul's line "My name is a killing word" and made it literal: saying "Muad'Dib" while holding one of the "Weirding Modules" converts the sound into a sonic blast.
94	* In ''Film/TheGolem'', it is a scroll inscribed with a magic word, "Aemaet", that brings the {{Golem}} to life.
95	* ''Film/MontyPythonAndTheHolyGrail'' has The Knights Who Say "Ni", keepers of the sacred words "Ni", "Peng", and "Neee-Wom", which appear to cause unbearable agony (or at least mild discomfort) to those who hear them. The Knights themselves suffer similar effects when anyone says the word, "[[WeaksauceWeakness it]]".
96	[[/folder]]
97
98	[[folder:Literature]]
99	* Creator/DavidEddings:
100	** ''Literature/TheRedemptionOfAlthalus'', where the Books of Deiwos and Daeva are the source of the good guys' and the bad guys' magic respectively. Fun fact: the words themselves are Proto-Indo-European.
101	** In ''Literature/TheBelgariad''/''Literature/TheMalloreon'' series, it's explained that the word is nothing more than a release for the will, hence the magic is the ''Will and the Word''.
102	** In ''Literature/TheElenium''/''Literature/TheTamuli'', the magic turns out to be nothing more than a prayer to the gods for assistance, which takes the form of magic. The Church Knights, given special dispensation to take on non-church tutors in mystical arts are the primary users. This leads to the hilarious revelation later that they probably didn't have to go outside their own religion. Normally, the prayer must be spoken in the god's chosen language, but Sparhawk, by virtue of having more direct contact with several deities, usually uses more direct methods to get the results he wants. This is to the point that when he starts reciting a formal prayer in the fifth book, his patron takes time out to question his sanity.
103	* In the second book of the ''Literature/{{Abarat}}'' series, protagonist Candy Quackenbush abruptly learns a specific word of power: "Jassassakya-Thüm". When she says it, it shakes or breaks whatever she focuses on (or if she is ''not'' focusing, everything around her). And it will ''keep'' shaking and breaking until she inhales it again. In fact, the longer the word is "loose", the stronger it gets.
104	* in ''Literature/TheBookOfAllHours'' by Hal Duncan - the Cant, the metaphysical language of the Vellum. Humans transform into Unkin when an event in their lives causes them to hear the Cant from underneath reality, echoing from the Vellum. Unkin can then use it to reshape reality, warp and change spacetime itself as well as the Vellum.
105	* Handled in two ways in ''Literature/ChroniclesOfTheKencyrath'':
106	** Brenwyr is a "maledict": if she curses something or someone, the curse becomes real. (At one point, she strikes a table and says "Rot you!". The table promptly crumbles to dust.) She also totters on the edge of being AxCrazy.
107	** [[TomeOfEldritchLore The Book Bound in Pale Leather]] contains Master Runes, which work independently of who reads them. Just copying them is dangerous and will drive you crazy.
108	* In ''Literature/TheChroniclesOfThomasCovenant'', those who study Earthpower learn various words of power that the cause pain to anything "wrong."
109	* Casey Fry's ''Literature/DeathSpeaker'' has a type of creature called a [=DeathSpeaker=] who kills whoever hears them utter a single sound. [[spoiler:Made worse that these creatures are just humans who are mute until they can suddenly speak at ten-years-old, and they have no control over their power.]]
110	* Variation in ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'', overlapping with NumerologicalMotif: the number between seven and nine is associated with powerful magic, and wizards generally avoid referring to it directly. In ''Literature/TheColourOfMagic'', one chapter has the characters in the temple of [[EldritchAbomination Bel-Shamharoth]], a [[Franchise/CthulhuMythos Cthulhu]] {{Expy}}, where ''no one'' can refer to said number for fear of waking him.
111	* Quantum linguistics in the ''Franchise/DoctorWhoExpandedUniverse'', used by the [[Franchise/CthulhuMythos Great Old Ones]]. Remarkably similar to the magic of the Carrionites in "The Shakespeare Code," below.
112	* In ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles'', wizards choose either nonsense words or a dead language as a link to their power, and those become their spells. They ''could'' pick words in their own language, but this is dangerous, since using a language you can't speak creates a mental barrier that helps protect the wizard from energy backlash. It's also possible to cast spells without using words at all, and simply shaping the magic [[YourMindMakesItReal with your mind]], but it is also incredibly painful. Harry equates it with all his bones being lit on fire at once.
113	* In ''Literature/{{Dune}}'', one of the powers of the Bene Gesserit is the Voice, a manner of speaking that can [[CompellingVoice compel obedience]] from a person that the speaker understands sufficiently. Paul, being the Kwisatz Haderach, develops this ability to the point where he can indeed kill with it, and threatens to use it on the Reverend Mother Mohiam during the climax unless she stops opposing him.
114	* Minor antagonist Zhang Guifeng from ''Literature/FengshenYanyi'' has learnt a sorcery that allows him to call an opponent by name and forcefully make him drop from his horse/mount by yelling the order out loud, causing them to drop down paralyzed and at his mercy. However, the magic is a NoSell against Nezha who, thanks to his lotus body, doesn't have a normal soul and is unaffected by these spells.
115	* In ''Literature/TheFolkKeeper'', the Power of the Last Word is the ability to compose rhyming verse to which forces fae creatures such as the Folk to submit to the will of the speaker. Pre-composed or previously used poetry will not work; the Power of the Last Word can only be exercised through original and spontaneously inspired verse.
116	* The magic words of the ''Franchise/HarryPotter'' seem to fit here on the face of it, since it's important to say the right words to cast a particular spell, although the words alone aren't enough; you've got to be a wizard with a wand and you've got to say them just right and in some cases you've got to have the right willpower behind it. It's not otherwise explained much or known if they're part of a LanguageOfMagic, but most of them are [[CanisLatinicus pseudo-Latin]]. ''Literature/HarryPotterAndTheHalfBloodPrince'' even shows evidence that someone came up with a new spell after trying out different made-up words until coming up with one that worked, although if that's all there is to it, that's kind of random.
117	** Magic can be performed without saying the words but just thinking them, which Snape tried to teach in ''Half-Blood Prince''. It's hard though, so many wizards still use incantations when outside of areas in which a non-verbal spell is required, like a battle.
118	* Numair in ''Literature/TheImmortals'' knows and uses words of power: he once used one to turn an enemy mage into an apple tree. It is not quite a DangerousForbiddenTechnique but very much discouraged because it can create unintended havoc -- anything performed by a word of power has an opposite effect somewhere else in the world. (Pierce did eventually write a short story about the tree who became a man. He had a ''lot'' of trouble adapting.) Good thing he's with the good guys.
119	* In Christopher Paolini's ''Literature/InheritanceCycle'' the elven language is the LanguageOfMagic and spells are more or less words of power taken from it. Want a big fire or an explosive arrow? Just yell "Brisingr!" and you're all done. (So long as you've got access to magic, that is. It won't do you much good otherwise.)
120	** Yeah... [[NiceJobBreakingItHero Just don't try to bless babies until you learn more about sentence structure.]]
121	** Then, in the final book, [[BigBad Galbatorix]] learns [[spoiler: the name of the ancient language, giving him complete control over all magic. Good thing he uses it stupidly; SanityHasAdvantages]].
122	* Literature/KateDaniels knows a few.
123	* In the Literature/LeftBehind book ''Glorious Appearing'', UsefulNotes/{{Jesus}} comes to Earth and [[CurbStompBattle kills all of the bad-guys]] just by proclaiming who He is and reciting Bible verses that cause them to explode in [[{{Gorn}} horribly graphic manners]]. {{Anvilicious}} much?
124	* In ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'' legendarium, where the world was essentially ''sung'' into existence, words and [[MagicMusic song]] have great power. Many of the most significant magical acts in the series are not of the fire and brimstone variety, but rather acts of word or song that influence the nature of their surroundings in the speaker's favour. Names also have a power, and Treebeard warns Merry and Pippin against giving out their [[IKnowYourTrueName right names]] lightly. Gandalf explicitly says he used a "Word of Power" to seal a door against a Balrog.
125	* Jadis (the future White Witch) in ''Literature/TheMagiciansNephew'' knows the Deplorable Word, the word which ends all life in a world - and spoke it to end the world of Charn where she ruled. Luckily for us, it doesn't work in this world.
126	* Miranda Windwood Rose, from the short story of the same name by Janni Lee Simner, is a magic name, letting the owner hear and see magic. This leads to the main character being an outcast.
127	* In the ''VideoGame/{{Myst}}'' novels, the backstory of the "magical books" is fleshed out; we learn about "mighty words," which if used in the proper context (that is, with the right ink and on the right paper) can modify the linked world. And Earth was originally reached by the D'ni through such a Book.
128	** Though the linking process works more akin to a magical search engine, the book seeking out the world that best fits the description given, the words used can also change a world once the link is made, and are described in terms of this trope. In ''The Book of Atrus'', Anna explains about 'levels' of words, the simplest being a description of a thing, the next being a modifier of such a description, i.e. a meta-word. She never says what the third level is, but it's implied to be the performative word, one which alters what it describes.
129	* The [=UnWords=] of [[LanguageOfMagic Enuncia]] in Literature/{{Ravenor}} probably count. The head of the Secretists uses several to very brutally murder a number of people including (if memory serves) the head of Special Crimes; and Patience Kys uses one to escape while being held prisoner by the Secretists. Bonus points for having the [=UnWords=] actually hurt the people ''saying'' them as well.
130	* ''Literature/TheRavenTower'': Gods in the setting [[RealityWarper makes things true by speaking them aloud]] (they can also work in more subtle ways, even unconsciously, but speaking something aloud immediately changes reality to fit the god's word). As such, discussions on how gods use language to avoid their own proclamations backfiring or contradicting each other makes up much of the book's narration, especially given that gods have to expend their own power to speak things and as such [[HoistByHisOwnPetard can kill themselves with a badly-worded proclamation or gift]]. Most gods tend to either be [[ExactWords painfully exact]] in their word choices or speak in extremely ambiguous terms, or (depending on the scenario) both. Unlike many other examples, the magic isn't tied to a specific language - they all work the same.
131	* In ''Literature/SnowCrash'' by Creator/NealStephenson, words literally ''can'' break bones - the human body and brain can be traumatized by carefully selected words. Of course, it's not that simple - not just ''any'' words can kill, but only those linked to "deep connections" in the brain. The language Sumerian works on anyone; [[spoiler:binary also works on computer hackers]].
132	* The overlord of the Redeemers in ''Literature/StarTrekNewFrontier'' knew words that could do things from inflicting severe pain, to forcing a person to reveal everything they know (which was actually used, and it wasn't a pretty sight). Their one weakness is that they can be blocked by Starfleet Universal Translators because they're from a language the Translators don't recognize.
133	* A form of this in ''Literature/TalesOfKolmar''. Servants of the Goddess Shia in times of great peril can be blessed by Her for an instant, and in that instant She speaks through them, using words they don't understand and don't need to have ever heard before. Nobody knows what they mean, but nothing can stand against them - and when they're spoken in this way, it's said that someone close to the Servant, someone they value dearly, dies within seven days. However, someone can know these words and even say them without either effect. The Goddess speaking these words is the big thing here, not the words themselves.
134	[[/folder]]
135
136	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
137	* A variation on ''Series/BabylonFive'': Telepaths, in addition to scanning minds and planting thoughts or visions, can also effectively hit the target's "pain button", making every nerve in their body burst with blinding pain for a few moments. This is typically accompanied by them simply glaring at the other person and hissing ''"Pain!"'' It is only allowed to be used in self defense, and it is only used when more effective means, such as [[MugglesDoItBetter guns]], are unavailable.
138	** [[MagicFromTechnology Technomages]] claim they can also make anyone do certain things just by speaking certain words. The trilogy of novels about them, though, implies that it's all bullshit. There's a reason the Vorlons refer to them as "fabulists". While they are powerful in their own way ([[spoiler:especially those who have managed to unlock the most basic spells and know how to work in harmony with the tech]]), they tend to rely more on theatrics and misdirection, like a typical stage magician.
139	* ''Series/DoctorWho'':
140	** [[Recap/DoctorWho2005CSTheChristmasInvasion "The Christmas Invasion"]]: The Doctor ends [[spoiler:Harriet Jones']] career with six words. "[[spoiler:Don't you think she looks tired?]]"
141	** [[Recap/DoctorWhoS29E2TheShakespeareCode "The Shakespeare Code"]]: The Carrionites use words to shape reality; the right words said in the right way at the right time have dramatic effects. Unfortunately for them it works both ways, and the Doctor's enlisted the best wordsmith around: ''Shakespeare''. He improvises a sonnet right then and there to defeat them. They get an assist from Creator/JKRowling too, via Martha: turns out that ''Expelliarmus!'' just happens to fit the end of his incantation to banish them nicely.
142	--->''Close up this din of hateful dire decay.\
143	Decomposition of your witches' plot.\
144	You thieve my brains, consider me your toy\
145	My doted Doctor tells me I am not!\
146	Foul Carrionites fester, cease your show.\
147	Between the points -- Seven six one three nine 0.\
148	Banished like a tinker's cuss,\
149	I sing to thee EXPELLIARMUS!''
150	** [[Recap/DoctorWhoS34E8MummyOnTheOrientExpress "Mummy on the Orient Express"]]: The Doctor faces the Foretold, an ancient mummy that can only be seen by those it is about to kill. They have only 66 seconds to live once the lights dim and it appears. Legends say there is a word or phrase that will banish the Foretold. After the Doctor becomes its next victim, he deduces [[spoiler:the Foretold is a soldier from a long-gone war, being kept alive by technology and forced to drain the life force of those it appears before. Because of this, the Doctor realizes the words are "We Surrender." It works and the Foretold is able to move onto what-comes-next]].
151	* ''Series/DoomPatrol2019'': Silver Tongue, one of Crazy Jane's personalities, can manifest her words as metal objects that she can telekinetically hurl like knives.
152	* The TVB fantasy series ''Gods of Honor'' (loosely based on ''Literature/FengshenYanyi''), the villainous Zhou faction have a pair of Demon Generals leading their army, named General Heng and General Ha. Their namesake comes from their powers where by hollering their names aloud -- '''HENG!''' and '''HA!''' -- their words will manifest as giant flying letters which strikes the ground and causes earthquakes on the spot.
153	* The Loverica Bugster from ''Series/KamenRiderExAid'' is from a DatingSim, and as a result is immune to physical attacks...but being shotdown hurts. ''A lot''. When [[spoiler:Nico]] insults him and tells him he's not her type, she gets several critical hits and sends him flying.
154	* An episode of ''Series/SamuraiSentaiShinkenger''/''Series/PowerRangersSamurai'' has a [[MonsterOfTheWeek monster]] that can read a person's mind, find the most derogatory and damaging insult that person has ever been called, and repeat it to them, converting the emotional pain they suffer from the insult into physical pain. He's only defeated when it's revealed one of our heroes has gotten so used to being insulted in her life that the monster's power can't affect her. Interestingly, the monster is based on a Japanese [[{{Youkai}} Obake]] that, itself, suffers from Words Can Break My Bones...in reverse: it "feeds" off of a person's inner thoughts, repeating them in the open when they latch onto someone, and only by emptying your mind of all thoughts can you drive away (or even ''kill'') the creature.
155	** Of course, the Shinkengers ''themselves'' indulge in this trope with their "Mojikara", or "word magic"; essentially, they use traditional Japanese calligraphy ([[MagicAIsMagicA written in the correct brushstroke]]) to create or invoke certain things, such as summoning a horse by writing out the kanji for "horse". (The Samurai Rangers do the same, but their "Samurai Symbols of Power" were never acknowledged as an actual written language.) The team's SixthRanger, unfortunately, sucks at penmanship, so he does his mojikara through self-invented {{magitek}} ''cell phone texting''.
156	[[/folder]]
157
158	[[folder:Religion]]
159	* In Jewish lore there are ramifications for speaking the [[IKnowYourTrueName True Name]] of God or erasing the written version. There is also the folklore of the Golem of Prague where the word ''emet'' was used to bring life to a piece of earth.
160	* ''Literature/TheBible'': The Book of John starts out with "In the beginning was the Word..." This is the authors way of stressing the primacy of UsefulNotes/{{Jesus}}, as the Word of {{God}} incarnate.
161	** In Greek it's "Ἐν ἀρχῇ ἦν ὁ λόγος." Granted, "word" is one possible translation of "λόγος", but so are "argument" and "study" (hence any English word that ends in "-logy") and probably a few other meanings besides.
162	*** The medieval theologian Erasmus translated it as "sermon," which may be seen as a sign of how important Scholastic works on religion were getting to be at the time.
163	** And then there's the parodies. In the beginning was the Word...
164	*** [[Literature/{{Discworld}} "And the word was 'Hey you!'"]]
165	*** [[ComicBook/TheSandman1989 "And before it was ever spoken aloud it was written in this book."]]
166	*** [[Literature/{{Illuminatus}} "And it was written by a baboon."]]
167	*** [[Literature/HyperionCantos "Then came the fucking word processor."]]
168	** There is also Jesus Christ basically scolding a storm, getting it to abate, bringing people BackFromTheDead by asking them, healing people by saying it would be so, knocking people on their butts by simply saying "I am He" (or more literally "I AM"), or expelling [[DemonicPossession demons]] by ordering them to leave. This is because, as the Son of God, he has absolute authority over the world, nature, life, and everything else (save the free will that was given to humanity by God).
169	*** And it is also mentioned that one could do the same, even simply tell a mountain to move and it would do so, if one has faith as small as a mustard seed.
170	* One of the ideas behind Ancient Egyptian magic was the very real potency of words and especially names. Their religious rituals also made use of the principle.
171	** Taken to its LogicalExtreme with Ptah (described by [[Website/{{Wikipedia}} The Other Wiki]] as "the creator god par excellence") who ''spoke the world into existence''. Everything that is, he created just by saying it.
172	** Which, of course, matches the Judeo-Christian creation account in Genesis 1, with God doing the speaking.
173	[[/folder]]
174
175	[[folder:Roleplay]]
176	* In ''Roleplay/DawnOfANewAgeOldportBlues'', Rhys' superpower allows him to write a word on himself and then have it affect reality by saying it aloud. For example, if he writes 'Gunshot' on his finger, it allows him to temporarily use a [[FingerFirearms literal finger gun]].
177	[[/folder]]
178
179	[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
180	* ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'':
181	** The most famous examples are the "Power Word" spells, including the ones for Blind, Kill and Stun. Power Word: Kill is as bad as it sounds: target within range with certain amount of HP/hit dice drops dead, no saving throw.
182	** Similar and related are certain [[GeometricMagic rune spells]] such as Symbol of Death - yep, it's at least as nasty if you step on it.
183	** The dark speech, as introduced in the ''Book of Vile Darkness'', is capable of damaging solid objects and driving people insane, as well as forming a component of seriously nasty (by D&D standards) magic.
184	** The Various Splatbooks feature tons of variants on this trope. Warlocks can shatter objects, disable flight, and turn people into frogs just by saying single words of the black speech. The Dracolexi Prestige Class can light people on fire just by speaking Draconic. But the one class that takes this trope to the extreme is the Truenamer from Tome Of Magic, who can temporarily ''reprogram the universe''. [[GameBreakingBug Theoretically.]]
185	** Fourth Edition introduced the bard power "Vicious Mockery", which causes psychic damage and is described in fluff as a string of vulgarities and insults, allows a player to literally talk someone to death.
186	** [[Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick I prepared Explosive Runes this morning.]]
187	** Every spell with a verbal component fits the trope. Though most of the damaging ones also require a physical component, there are few non-attack, purely spoken spells that can be cleverly used to break bones.
188	** Tenebrous's/Orcus's last word was so powerful that the utterance could instantly slay even deities. In fact, it was so powerful that unless you were a true god, usage of this word would eventually burn you out. After Tenebrous's shenanigans, a cabal of greater deities greatly lessened the power of the word.
189	** 3E and 3.5E have a whole family of spells that do this to creatures of the opposite alignment. A cleric who casts '''Holy Word''' (seen in action in ''WebComic/TheOrderOfTheStick'' [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0859.html #859]]) causes any non-good creature within 40 feet to suffer an escalating series of effects depending on the difference between the caster level and the victim's hit dice. If the two values match, the subject is merely deafened, whereas if the difference is ten or more, the subject is [[RasputinianDeath deafened, blinded, paralyzed, and killed instantly]]. Also, non-good extraplanar creatures are immediately banished. Holy Word's counterparts for the other alignments are '''Blasphemy''' (affects non-evil subjects), '''Dictum''' (affects non-lawful subjects), and '''Word of Chaos''' (affects non-chaotic subjects).
190	* ''TabletopGame/{{Exalted}}'' charms can cause this in many different ways. A tongue-lashing can cause very real damage and in the case of some specific charms and combos, a person can be harmed or killed by just reading a letter.
191	* The Words of Power from ''TabletopGame/{{GURPS}}: Thaumatology'' are described as "the ultimate symbols of which all others are merely shadows". Despite their enormous power the Words are cheap (in game terms) to learn because they're ''impossible'' to control. "Fire" might do anything from inspire poetry to create a massive explosion or even do both at once.
192	** The rules also note that a word of power has a reasonable chance of doing the speaker a serious mischief on the way out.
193	* ''TabletopGame/HollowEarthExpedition''. A character who knows the Atlantean language and has the talent Atlantean Power Words can order opponents by using one word commands in Atlantean. If he has the Atlantean Commands talent as well he can issue complex multi-word commands.
194	* ''TabletopGame/VampireTheRequiem'' gives us the Spina bloodline (a line of gentleman/gentlewoman knights who respect the code of the duel and proper combat) and their unique Discipline of Courtosie. At its highest level, it allows you to [[YouFightLikeACow sass someone so hard, they take damage]].
195	* In the ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer}}'' GaidenGame ''TabletopGame/{{Mordheim}}'', the Chaos ritual Word of Pain involves the Chaos Magister speaking the name of his dark god. The power of this forbidden name is so great that everyone within earshot, whether they are enemies or fellow worshipers, is stricken with pain.
196	[[/folder]]
197
198	[[folder:Theatre]]
199	* In ''Theatre/JacobMarleysChristmasCarol'', Scrooge's contempt is so withering Marley reels back as if struck, and he's forced to retreat.
200	[[/folder]]
201
202	[[folder:Video Games]]
203	* Towards the end of ''VideoGame/AlanWake'' you go into a weird abstract world with a bunch of typewritten words that hover in mid-air. Shining your light on them cause them to manifest the things they represent. For instance, "Exit" will create a way out of the area, or "Red Box" will spawn a supply chest. In the DLC they introduce considerably more dangerous ones, like "[[{{Mooks}} Taken]]", "[[GoddamnedBats Birds]]", and "[[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin BOOM!]]"
204	* In ''VideoGame/BaldursGate'' all casters say three short words in latin before any spell depending on the school, which read less like magical gibberish and more like an invocation.
205	-->Abjuration: ''"Manus, Potentis, Paro"'' = "A hand, powerful, I prepare"\
206	Alteration: ''"Praeses, Alia, Fero"'' = "Protecting, another, I bring this forth"\
207	Conjuration: ''"Facio, Voco, Ferre"'' = "This I do, I call, to bring you forth"\
208	Divination: ''"Scio, Didici, Pecto"'' = "I know, for I have studied, with my mind"\
209	Enchantment: ''"Cupio, Virtus, Licet"'' = "I want, excellence, allowed to me"\
210	Evocation: ''"Incertus, Pulcher, Imperio"'' = "Uncertain, beautiful things, I command"\
211	Illusion: ''"Veritas, Credo, Oculos"'' = "The truth, I believe, with my eyes"\
212	Necromancy: ''"Vita, Mortis, Careo"'' = "Life, and death, I am without"
213	* ''VideoGame/TheBizarreAdventuresOfWoodruffAndTheSchnibble'': The nine Syllables originally known by the seven Wisemen.
214	* ''VideoGame/BookwormAdventures'' makes sense given that it's a word game to begin with.
215	* ''VideoGame/CounterfeitMonkey'' takes place in a world where it's possible to remove letters from words to transform objects and even living beings into new ones. There's even a 't-inserter' that's sought after by the rebel faction because of how incredibly versatile the ability to insert the letter t in any word can be.
216	* ''VideoGame/{{Cuphead}}'' has Hilda Berg, a zeppelin woman who, among her attacks, can shoot the word "HA" at you. The tubas in the "Funhouse Frazzle" run-n-gun level project a loud "BWAAAAA!!!" as their attack.
217	* The scrolls in the ''VideoGame/{{Diablo}}'' series work this way, with the written words becoming the spell as they're spoken (and consequently, disappearing). The magic books from the first installment may be similar, as they too disappear when used.
218	* ''Videogame/{{Dungeonmans}}:'' The [[BarbarianHero Southern Gentlemans]] has the "Fire and Brimstone" skill tree as a take on Barbarian shouts that combines this trope with the unusually gentleman-ly way the class behaves for a raging berserker. An enraged Southern Gentlemans can belt out fiery invective that scorches enemies all around (the F-bombs are literal here), icy rhetoric that freezes enemies in place, and if ''particularly'' furious can curse foes out in BlackSpeech, turning their surroundings into a disaster area.
219	* ''Franchise/TheElderScrolls'':
220	** Nirn's [[OurDragonsAreDifferent dragons]] are the [[DragonsAreDivine divine children]] of the [[TopGod chief deity]] of the [[SaintlyChurch Nine Divines Pantheon]], Akatosh, the Dragon God of Time. (They also may be fragments of his actual being, and serve of a role similar to being [[DragonsAreDemonic very destructive]] [[OurAngelsAreDifferent angels]].) They inherently speak a LanguageOfMagic which gives them small scale [[RealityWarper Reality Warping]] powers. Essentially, they "make real" whatever they speak in this language. For example, when a Dragon is "breathing" fire, they're technically commanding fire to come into existence, and battles between dragons are essentially very loud debates.
221	** In the ancient past, the dragons and their [[ReligionOfEvil Dragon Cults]] took over much of Skyrim. Seeking a way to defeat the Dragons and their Cults, the ancient ProudWarriorRace [[HornyVikings Nords]] prayed to the [[OurGodsAreDifferent Divines]] for aid. Their prayers were answered and they were taught how to use the language of the Dragons themselves, which they called the Thu'um (or the "Voice"). Led by the Tongues, masters of the Thu'um, the ancient Nord armies vanquished the dragons and their Cults, then forged an Empire that covered nearly all of north Tamriel. A succession crisis would eventually tear it apart, and then the use of the Thu'um as a weapon of war dropped dramatically after their [[ShockingDefeatLegacy defeat at the Battle of Red Mountain]], following which one of those Tongues (Jurgen Windcaller) [[HeelFaithTurn founded the "Way of the Voice" to use the Thu'um only honor the gods]].
222	** In modern times, the Greybeards continue to follow Windcaller's "Way of the Voice." They live in a monastery known as High Hrothgar near the top of the [[TheTower Throat of the World]], the tallest mountain in Tamriel. So powerful is their Thu'um that they are usually sworn to silence in order to not [[PersonOfMassDestruction destroy everything around]] them simply by ''talking''. Even their faintest whispers are known to shake the mountain on which they live. They Greybeards accept anyone who wishes to learn the Thu'um and follow the Way of the Voice. It is explained that [[CharlesAtlasSuperpower anyone can learn to use Thu'um]], but it takes a great deal of training, mostly to learn the true ''meaning'' of the words in the shout. Anyone can try speaking it, but you need to put your ''soul'' into it for magic to happen.
223	*** How powerful are the Greybeards' voices? When they called Wulfharth, the [[WhoWantsToLiveForever immortal]] [[SemiDivine demigod]] champion/[[GodInHumanForm possible avatar]] of [[TopGod Shor]], to High Hrothgar, they blasted him to dust just to show him [[spoiler:what it will be like when he gets betrayed by [[TheConqueror Tiber Septim]]]].
224	** ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim Skyrim]]'' is the first game in the series in which the Thu'um is seen in action. The PlayerCharacter is a legendary Dragonborn (or Dovahkiin), a rare mortal blessed by Akatosh with the immortal Aedric soul of a dragon. Akatosh creates those who are Dragonborn to be the [[HunterOfHisOwnKind natural predators]] of the Dragons, being capable of ending their ResurrectiveImmortality by [[YourSoulIsMine absorbing their souls]] and using those souls to increase their mastery of the Thu'um. After being revealed as a Dragonborn, he/she will be summoned by the Greybeards to High Hrothgar for training. When they call for the Dragonborn, ''all of Skyrim'' can hear it.
225	** Others in ''Skyrim'' are revealed to be able to use the Thu'um as well. Ulfric Stormcloak, [[RebelLeader leader of the Stormcloak rebellion]], studied with the Greybeards and used the Thu'um to win his duel with High King Torygg, kickstarting the Skyrim {{Civil War}}. Additionally, many of the [[OurZombiesAreDifferent Draugr]] EliteMooks (the ones with the words "death," "over," or "lord" somewhere in their names) were the leaders of the ancient Dragon Cults and can use the Thu'um as well. Miraak, [[spoiler:the ''first'' Dragonborn and BigBad of the ''Dragonborn'' DLC]] as well as the {{Superboss}} Ebony Warrior can also use the Thu'um.
226	** ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsOnline Online]]'' introduces Daedric Titans, dragons who have been corrupted by [[GodOfEvil Molag Bal]], the [[OurGodsAreDifferent Daedric Prince]] of [[TheCorrupter Domination and Corruption]]. While stated to be only a "crude imitation" of the "true" Thu'um, Titans possess the ability to speak a spell of flaming essence-drain that can debilitate an opponent with a single word.
227	* The Correspondence in ''VideoGame/FallenLondon'' is a ''writing system'' which has this effect. Attempts to study it tend to set things on fire, ranging from the material it's written on to would-be cryptophilologists themselves. Writing Correspondence symbols in lead seems to mitigate the issue, but only to an extent. It's also known to [[EyeScream make the reader's eyes bleed.]] ''VideoGame/SunlessSea'', set in the same universe, goes even further with it: There's monsters out there in the Unterzee that are ''fluent'' in Correspondence, and have been known to sink frigates just by talking at them.
228	** A quest in ''Sunless Sea'' takes it further and mixes it with IKnowYourTrueName. Namely, finding your own "Burning Name" which will [[ChainOfDeals send you on a very long]] and ahem [[MindScrew reality-challenged]] quest to go to a rather exotic locale. Performing the ritual involves speaking your Name (which burns you. ''horribly.'') and having every single member of your crew constantly singing a song that protects you from the AlienGeometries stopping you from just [[InsistentTerminology zailing]] there.
229	* In ''VideoGame/LollipopChainsaw'', Zed the Punk Zombie can attack by weaponizing profanities. He does this by blasting you with giant versions of the words he shouts out, like '''''COCKSUCKER!''''' or '''''PISS OFF!''''', to demonstrate a few (as seen below in the video).
230	* In ''VideoGame/{{Manhunt}} 2'', Daniel Lamb's mind can be destroyed if Dr. Pickman completes the following quote within earshot: "What seest thou else in the dark backward and abysm of time?"
231	* At the beginning of ''VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiSuperstarSaga'', Cackletta infects Peach [[spoiler:(actually Birdo)]] with a bizarre condition where anything she says will manifest as swear-like symbols that fall down from her speech bubble and explode upon hitting the floor. Cackletta describes it as "an explosive vocabulary."
232	* In ''Ultimate VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcom3'' [[Franchise/AceAttorney Phoenix Wright]] can use his iconic "Hold it!" and "Objection!" as attacks that can stun opponents. His level 3 hyper combo consists in him accusing the opponent of being "the one who actually committed the crime", finalizing with a "Take That!" Balloon. This happens to be the second most damaging move in the whole game, only losing out to [[VideoGame/DevilMayCry Vergil's]] Level 3.
233	* A RomHack of ''VideoGame/MegaMan2'' called ''Cutman's Bad Scissors Day'' contains a literal example, with the spike tiles being reskinned into just the word "die" - [[https://youtu.be/LXgU-vLsNvc?t=474 observe for yourself.]]
234	* ''VideoGame/MischiefMakers'' also takes the literal approach: you shake negative words to turn them positive and attack with them.
235	* The ''VideoGame/{{Parodius}}'' series has a megaphone powerup that spouts random silly phrases which, upon contact to enemies, does tremendous damage.
236	* In ''VideoGame/PlanescapeTorment'', the museum/art gallery has a "statue" which is actually a wizard who was petrified just before he could utter what's [[TakeOurWordForIt allegedly]] the most vile curse in existence. A player can potentially restore him, whereupon he [[NoOntologicalInertia completes his tirade]]. The resultant profanities are so utterly vile ''they strike you dead''.) Doing this is one of the ways the player can enhance Morte's Taunt special attack.
237	* ''VideoGame/{{Psychonauts}}'': In the boss fight against StrawCritic Jasper Rolls, he attacks you with the physical embodiment of derogatory adjectives like "tedious" and "monotonous". (It's a JourneyToTheCenterOfTheMind, this stuff can happen there.) And all this happens after Raz remarks that "sticks and stones might break my bones, [[TemptingFate but words will never hurt... me...]]"
238	* ''VideoGame/{{Scribblenauts}}'' and ''Super Scribblenauts'' allow you to create any object or objects by writing its words. Some of the words create harmful things (dragon, sword, fire, atomic bomb).
239	* In ''VideoGame/Splatoon2'', Pearl's War Cry works like this. She essentially screams into a microphone and the ensuing amplified scream is so loud that it destroys a gigantic statue that would dwarf godzilla. Where it fits this trope is that her war cry is normally this ''without'' the amplifier. Her war cry has a tendency to make people cover their ears and it tends to break things.
240	* Sagume Kishin in ''VideoGame/TouhouKanjudenLegacyOfLunatic Kingdom'' is an interesting case: the ''opposite'' of what she says always comes true, reality itself making sure that everything that comes out of her mouth is a lie. This makes her a RealityWarper, but it also means she speaks little and very carefully.
241	* In ''VideoGame/TreasureOfTheRudra'', magic is based on entered words... and possible effects for entries that don't have a specific precoded effect involve the word simply attacking enemies, such as flying at them from offscreen or being dropped on them by an eagle.
242	* In ''VideoGame/{{Ultima}}'' and ''VideoGame/UltimaOnline'', spell systems use [[http://uo.stratics.com/content/basics/words.shtml a series of these]], fragments of a LanguageOfMagic that are each imbued with a different power according to their meaning. Spells are made by combining them with material reagents.
243	** Which turned out to be [[spoiler: the normal spoken language of the Gargoyles]]. Which can give you a headache if you think about it too much.
244	** In addition, ''VideoGame/UltimaV'' had magic words ''called'' Words of Power, magical triggers that undid the sealing spells on the dungeons.
245	* ''VideoGame/{{VVVVVV}}''. Words can literally kill you.
246	* In ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'', many of the spells priests learn are like this. Shadow Word: Pain, Power Word: Shield, and Shadow Word: Death, for some examples.
247	[[/folder]]
248
249	[[folder:Web Animation]]
250	* ''WebAnimation/TheDementedCartoonMovie'' brings us "Blah", "Zeeky Boogy Doog" and "Gleeg Snag Zip", which, respectively, pops your head off or otherwise causes nearby events to suddenly kill you, summons a nuclear explosion at the location the words were said, and [[EarthShatteringKaboom causes Earth to violently explode]].
251	[[/folder]]
252
253	[[folder:Webcomics]]
254	* Gordon Frohman of ''Webcomic/{{Concerned}}'' only survived falling down from the Citadel because he had Buddha mode on (apparently he could use ''VideoGame/HalfLife2'' cheats by saying them out loud). It didn't prevent him from getting fatal injuries, only from succumbing to them. Of course, saying "buddha" again in such a situation is ill-advised. He learned this the hard way...
255	* In ''Webcomic/ElGoonishShive'', when Magus possesses Elliot and when he eventually gets his own body, he demonstrates that he has this ability when he non-violently makes Ashley fall asleep, puts Ashley in a trance so she wouldn't panic, and lastly holds Sirleck in place so that he could easily kill Sirleck.
256	* The word path in ''Webcomic/{{Juathuur}}'' is one of the three types of magic.
257	* ''Webcomic/KillSixBillionDemons'':
258	** The Art of Lying to the Face of God requires the user vocalize the result at least partially, so the most common visible sign of magic is someone speaking something into existence and it happening. The [[GodEmperor God-Empress]] Mottom is a powerful enough liar that she can can [[YourHeadAsplode convert people into flower petals with a whisper]], or turn them into trees with a sentence.
259	** [[MasterSwordsman Meti]]'s manual indicates Meti herself tried to kill with just her words, as part of her use of KillingIntent as ''the'' weapon, but words were "too soft" for it. Presumably, since her style is to distill the act of Cutting Down Your Opponent to its barest essentials, without even ''thought'' having a part, language as a whole just didn't mesh.
260	** Angels are believed to be incapable of lying as a result of having the Old Law (i.e. the InUniverse WordOfGod) hammered into their being: In reality, they ''can'', but it is damaging to them. And then there is {{Metatron}} 1, God's scribe and the oldest angel, who has knowledge of [[TheCreator YISUN's]] voice. Metatron ''cannot'' lie, because anything he says ''is'' true.
261	* Towards the end of ''Webcomic/ProblemSleuth'', [[FinalBoss Demonhead Mobster Kingpin's]] third form can only become vulnerable to damage by raising his "Sick Burn" meter with insults.
262	* In ''Webcomic/RiceBoy'', the titular character learns to speak a word in the Thrill language. [[spoiler: It allows him to ''cut anything in half''.]]
263	* Torg of ''Webcomic/SluggyFreelance'' gives Zoë a fancy necklace he found in an Egyptian pyramid that turns out to carry a curse that causes its wearer to transform into a camel when someone in earshot says the word "shupid". Fortunately, the effect can be reversed by speaking another magic word, "kwi". Unfortunately, the necklace, upon being put on, turns into a tattoo on the wearers chest, and cannot be removed.
264	[[/folder]]
265
266	[[folder:Web Original]]
267	* The ''Website/SCPFoundation'' has a few of these in its ranks... notably [[http://www.scp-wiki.net/scp-1425 SCP-1425]], the book "Star Signals", which causes reality to degrade as more and more people use the BlackSpeech it contains. It nearly becomes an [[ApocalypseHow X-Keter Class Event,]] if not a complete breakdown of reality as we know it. [[http://www.scp-wiki.net/scp-701 SCP-701]], The Hanged King's Tragedy, also seems to work as a magical rite, with madness coming along as the actors read, rehearse and eventually perform the script.
268	[[/folder]]
269
270	[[folder:Western Animation]]
271	* In the ''WesternAnimation/BugsBunny'' cartoon "Transylvania 6-5000", the vampire Count Bloodcount can turn himself into a bat by saying "Abracadabra" and turn himself back by saying "Hocus Pocus". Bugs keeps saying the words at random, even making up a song about them, causing the Count to turn into a bat and back at the most inopportune times. Bugs then starts getting creative.
272	-->''"Abraca-pocus."'' [Count turns into vampire with a bat's head]\
273	''"Pocus-cadabra."'' [Count turns into bat with vampire's head]\
274	''"Newport News."'' [Count turns into Witch Hazel]\
275	''"I can do better than that. Walla-Walla Washington."'' [Count turns into two-headed vulture]
276	** Topping it off, Bugs himself grows bat wings just by singing "Abraca-pocus".
277	** In the short ''Yankee Dood It'', the word "Jehoshaphat" has the power to turn elves into mice, and Sylvester the cat tries to make his master repeat the word so he can make lunch out of an elf. The word "Rumplestiltskin" is used to change him back.
278	%%* ''WesternAnimation/AmericanDad'': "Say Agathor backwards".
279	* Played with and subverted in ''WesternAnimation/TheGrimAdventuresOfBillyAndMandy''. While no magic is involved, Billy does tell Spurg the whole "sticks and stones" thing. Then Spurg shows Billy that he indeed has with him sticks and stones.
280	* "Sim Sim Sala Bim" -- the magic words Hadji uses all the time in ''WesternAnimation/JonnyQuest''.
281	* Raven's magical exclamation in ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans2003'': '''AZARATH METRION ZINTHOS!''' However, its shown that it's not an intrinsic property of the words that have power, but rather that they mean something important to Raven herself.
282	[[/folder]]
283
284	[[folder:Real Life]]
285	* "[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abracadabra Abracadabra]]" came to us from as far back as the 2nd century AD, believed to be Aramaic (a Semitic language related to Hebrew) in origin, or maybe Arabic, used as a charm against misfortune. In Arabic the meaning was "let the thing be destroyed," while the thing being destroyed was typically illness, or possibly "let it be as I have said." It might also have come from Aramaic first, where abra (אברא) means "to create" and cadabra (כדברא) which means "as I say."
286	* Word of Faith and "prosperity gospel" preachers continually sell people on the idea that they can speak things into existence through faith, that words have the power of life and death over other people and situations.
287	[[/folder]]
288

Context Main / WordsCanBreakMyBones