So what's your favorite word?

“Vapors,” he said at last.

“Vapors?” Ruth thought of chills and cold, mists and suicide ghosts. That was not a word she would have chosen.

“It appeals to all the senses,” he explained. “It can be opaque but never solid. You can feel it, but it has no permanent shape. It might be hot or cold. Some vapors smell terrible, others quite wonderful. Some are dangerous, others are harmless. Some are brighter than others when burned, mercury versus sodium, for instance. Vapors can go up your nose with a sniff and permeate your lungs. 

And the sound of the word, how it forms on your lips, teeth, and tongue—vaporzzzzzz—it lilts up, then lingers and fades. It’s perfectly matched to its meanings.”

“The Bonesetter’s Daughter”, written by Amy Tan