pun intended
3 synonyms for pun intended, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.
Phrase — Said or written immediately after a remark to flag that a word in it also works as a play on words, and that the speaker noticed and meant it.
Synonyms
Rare, literary or technical
Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.
if you'll pardon the pun
excuse the pun
no pun intended (opposite intent)
How to use pun intended
The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.
pun very much intended
pun fully intended
if you'll pardon the pun
Informal but widely acceptable in speech and everyday writing.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between "pun intended" and "no pun intended"?
"Pun intended" claims the wordplay as deliberate — you spotted it and you meant it. "No pun intended" disowns it, telling the listener the double meaning was an accident of phrasing rather than a joke. In practice "no pun intended" is often said with a smile by people who very much intended it.
Do you need a comma before "pun intended"?
Usually yes. It is a parenthetical aside, so it takes a comma, dash or brackets: "a growing problem, pun intended". Brackets are common in writing where the sentence is already long.
Is "pun intended" too casual for professional writing?
It is informal but not slang, and it appears in journalism, marketing copy and conference talks. Avoid it in academic papers, legal documents and formal reports, where the aside reads as chatty.
