Pretty much everyone knows what a phobia is: an extreme and unreasoning fear or aversion to something. While there are hundreds of known phobias, some of the most common include claustrophobia (fear of enclosed spaces), arachnophobia (fear of spiders), acrophobia (fear of heights) and aquaphobia (fear of water).
But if aquaphobia is an aversion to water, then what is hydrophobia? After all, it means fear of water, too. So which term is correct?
The answer, oddly enough, is both. But if you were forced to choose which affliction you’d rather have, trust us: You’d pick aquaphobia every time. Because if you were ever luckless enough to have hydrophobia, it would almost certainly mean that you’re about to die one of the most wretched deaths that a human can experience.
