THE SCARY WORLD OF PHOBIA NAMES

8 Phobia Names to Fuel Your Logophobia

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"Logophobia" is the irrational fear of words themselves. For most people, it only applies to a particular set of sounds, prefixes, or suffixes. There are also extreme cases, such as the ironically but aptly named "hippopotomonstrosesquipedaliophobia," which is the fear of long words.

Some phobia names, as it would seem, are not only designed to describe themselves but also to give people with logophobia a nice scare. Keep on reading to find out 8 of the phobias with the weirdest names around!

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This one will probably open up the age-old debate between dog people and cat lovers. People with ailurophobia feel an abnormal fear of cats, even of cute and cuddly kittens. Many of the people who suffer from this phobia have had bad experiences with cats in the past, but that's not always the case. Like many of these names, this word has an ancient origin, deriving from the Greek word for "cat," ailuro.

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A fairly common phobia among kids –and some adults– "coulrophobia" refers to the fear of clowns. Horror novels and flicks like Stephen King's It probably had something to do with perpetuating the concept of the scary clown with a manic grin. If we are being completely honest, they do make quite a compelling case.

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"Anthophobia" is an abnormal fear of flowers. Anthos, you guessed it, is the Greek word for "flower". We get it – every rose has its thorns, and there's no doubt that nature can produce some horrifying specimens. For instance, the Rafflesia plant produces an enormous flower with such a strong and unpleasant smell that it has been sometimes called the "corpse flower."

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If you suffer from this phobia, you'll be relieved to find that this list is relatively short. "Triskaidekaphobia" refers to the fear of the number 13. The origins of the belief in the unlucky nature of the number 13 are foggy at best, and there is no consensus among historians. Nonetheless, just for good measure, it's probably better not to schedule any important events on Friday the 13th.

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Why stop at 13? "Arithmophobia" is the fear of numbers in general. Remember that we are talking about an extreme, irrational fear, not the general reluctance to deal with numbers that a lousy math teacher can induce into young students. As you can imagine, this uncommon phobia can significantly interfere with daily activities, such as paying bills.

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A type of chromophobia, "xanthophobia" is the fear of the color yellow. We hope none of the members of The Beatles suffered from it, as it would have made life in the Yellow Submarine quite unbearable. People with this phobia try to avoid the color yellow at all costs, be it in their choice of decorations, clothes, or even food.

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Sometimes also called "spectrophobia" or "catoptrophobia", this is the fear of mirrors or, more specifically, the fear of what might be reflected in them. As such, "eisoptrophobia" extends not only to mirrors but to any reflective surface. This phobia is fairly common and specialists have found different possible explanations for it, ranging from self-esteem issues to a fear of the supernatural.

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We saved the best for last, as this phobia makes almost no effort to hide its naming wordplay. "Phobophobia" is, quite literally, the fear of phobias, or the fear of fear itself. This circular definition is quite an overwhelming concept to wrap your head around, and it's often described as a general feeling of anxiety. It's most common in people who already suffer from other phobias, who might develop a fear of the way their preexisting phobias make them feel.